Old Kaspar took it from the boy, And then the old man shook his head, ""Tis some poor fellow's skull," said he, "Who fell in the great victory. "I find them in the garden, for There's many hereabout; And often when I go to plough, The ploughshare turns them out ; For many thousand men," said he, "Were slain in the great victory." "Now tell us what 'twas all about," "It was the English," Kaspar cried, 66 My father lived at Blenheim then, Yon little stream hard by; They burnt his dwelling to the ground, And he was forced to fly; So with his wife and child he fled, Nor had he where to rest his head. "With fire and sword the country round Was WASTED far and wide, And many a childing mother then But things like that, you know, must be THE SHOP WINDOW. They say it was a shocking sight For many thousand bodies here But things like that, you know, must be "Great praise the Duke of Marlbro' won, Why 'twas a very wicked thing!" “ Nay, nay, my little girl," quoth he, "And everybody praised the duke, "But what good came of it at last?" "Why that I cannot tell," said he, EXERCISE. 1. What are the evils of famous victories? 27 2. Who fought this battle, where was it fought, and in what year ? 3. Who were the victors? LESSON' X. THE SHOP. WINDOW.-PART II. BIR'-MING-HAM, a town in sense. OR'-NA-MENTS, choice things for show more than for use. JEW'-EL-LER, a dealer-in precious gems. CON-TIN'-U-AL-LY, always. OH, what a nice window we have come to now! How it GLITTERS! I can hardly look at it. It is the JEWELLER and watch-maker's. He not only sells clocks and watches, but gold and silver chains, brooches, and fancy articles made of the precious metals. It is all very well to have clocks and watches, for they tell us the time of day, and are useful; but we should never covet the bright jewels which we see. Foolish people think that unless they wear chains and rings and so forth, they will not be thought rich and great; but the most SENSIBLE persons are those who think least about these things. Many persons who cannot afford to do so are foolish enough to spend their money on these fine things, and they often suffer afterwards for their pride. Well, the gold is brought to this country chiefly from AUSTRALIA, from what is known as the "diggings." We will leave this window and go to the next. There are some boys and girls looking at it already. I see what they are looking at. It is that long row of picture books, and what nice books they are! There is a large one, the same as the one I got for a prize at the last examination. It was full of pictures and nice reading. One of the little girls says she has a book at home like the first one in the row. It is called, “The Swiss Family Robinson," a very amusing book. Well, we must just take another glance at this window, and move on to the next shop. Why, here is a shop without a window! Where has it gone to? It is a butcher's shop, and he does not require a window. He wants all the air he can get, that his meat may be fresh and good. We are apt to pass by this shop without thinking what a useful one it is in PROVIDING meat for our dinners. Oh! do you see the next shop? It is a toy shop, and the window is full of all kinds of playthings. There are little wooden horses, some of them fixed in carts, as if they were drawing them; but the horses have to go on wheels as well as the carts. There are tops, whips, marbles, whistles, musical boxes (which are far from being pleasant in their music), wooden houses of all shapes and sizes, dolls, animals (some of THE SHOP WINDOW. 29 which can squeak), drums, tin boxes, and little ornaments as bright as gold. Which should you like to buy? These little things, simple and funny as they look, employ a great many people in BIRMINGHAM and other places to make them, and, in the movements and design of some a great deal of skill has been shown. There is one more shop window which we must look at. It is at the corner of the street, and has some bright-coloured bottles in the window. One bottle has a red liquid in it; the next, blue. This shop is kept by a druggist. He mixes medicines and sells drugs for physic, or for use in the trades. The druggist has to be very careful in selling his drugs, for some of them are poison, and would cause the death of any person swallowing them, yet these same drugs are useful in many of the trades which are carried on in this country. This shop always looks pretty at night, from the effects of the bright lights in the window. We have now read of what is to be seen in some of the shop windows of our towns. But we must not forget that these goods have been the work of many persons in PREPARING them for use. Some of the articles have been brought from foreign lands, and some of them will be taken to foreign lands, so that they are CONTINUALLY changing hands. Some are cheap, some are very dear; some are for daily use, and some only for ORNAMENT. There is much to be learnt from looking at a shop window, if we set ourselves thinking and INQUIRING about how the articles are made, what they are made of, and why they are made. EXERCISE. What is manufactured at Birmingham and Manchester? What does the druggist sell? Why does the butcher require fresh air in his shop? WE are PUNCTUAL when we are present at the point of time at which we are wanted. In order to guard against being late, from our clocks or WATCHES being wrong, we should always try to be present ten minutes before the appointed time. When Lord Nelson was leaving England, on his last voyage, he ordered some FURNITURE to be sent down to the ship, and put in the cabin. He saw the man who had charge of it, who told him that it was all ready packed, and would be sent on a wagon at six o'clock. "And shall you go and see them off?" said Lord Nelson. "I shall, my lord," the man answered; "I shall be there by six o'clock." "A quarter before six," said his lordship. "Be there a quarter before six. To that quarter of an hour I owe everything in life." Lord Nelson here tells us that he thought his success in life was owing to his being present on all occasions a quarter of an hour before he was wanted. He George III., king of England, GRANDFATHER to Queen Victoria, was a very punctual man. INSISTED upon people whom he wished to see being present at the exact time appointed. He once told a TRADESMAN to wait upon him at Windsor Castle, at eight o'clock in the morning, on a certain day. |