which the great ARTIST, Sir Francis Chantrey, passed his early life.

Francis Chantrey was born in the parish of Norton, in the year 1781.

His father was a CARPENTER and small farmer, and died when Francis was but twelve years old.

Left with his mother, he seems to have wasted a great deal of time which he might well have spent at school. He did, however, attend the village school for some short time, under Mr. Fox, the schoolmaster.

But he was not able to stay at school long. Little Francis had to go each day to Sheffield with milk. This was carried in two barrels on a donkey. Fancy you can see Francis driving the donkey down the quiet lanes to Sheffield, perhaps whistling as he went along; now and then talking to Neddy, and looking for all the world like a farmer's milk-boy!

But when he grew a big boy he and Neddy had to part, for Francis was put to the BUSINESS of a grocer in one of the shops in Sheffield.

Standing in the shop all day among pounds of sugar may have been very nice, but the fact was the boy had no TASTE for this trade. So one day when his mother came to see him, and he took a walk with her down one of the streets in Sheffield, he stopped OPPOSITE the shop window of Mr. Ramsey, a dealer in pictures.

He said that was the trade he should like to learn. He had often noticed this shop as he passed by. There were two nice little wax figures of Faith and Charity, which were shown in the window. These seemed to please him much, and made him wish more to learn this trade.

Soon after this, Mr. Ramsey took him into his SERVICE, and from this time he made very rapid PROGRESS in painting and picture-cleaning.

It is said that he carved the likeness of the head of a fox, which was very well done, and then made a present of it to a friend of his.

In the year 1802 he went to London. The drawing school there, which he often went to, was a great help to him in making him a good painter.

SIR FRANCIS CHANTREY.

67

It would form too long a list, to name the pretty pictures which he painted, and his other works of art.

He would often sketch little scenes as he went about. In this way he drew a likeness of poor old George, the beggarman, who used to stand at the corner of one of the Sheffield streets.

But, besides being a good painter, he was very clever in making figures in stone or marble, or, as we should say, he was a clever SCULPTOR.

Perhaps one of his best works in marble is that of the two sleeping girls, which is to be seen in Lichfield Cathedral. There they lie, looking almost as if they were alive, the one holding in her hand the snowdrops which she has been picking.

Step by step Francis Chantrey rose in his trade, till he became a great painter and a still greater SCULPTOR. His works came under the notice of George III., George IV., William IV., and Queen Victoria. was made Sir Francis Chantrey by William IV.

He

He died in London in 1841, and was buried in the churchyard of Norton. We must not forget to name that he left money to pay for the schooling of ten poor boys in his native parish, and, in many other ways. he was good to the poor.

Some of his friends have placed on the village green, to his memory, an upright pillar of stone, rising to the height of twenty-four feet. On it, in plain letters, is merely the word "Chantrey."

Thus you see that the little country boy, who once drove the donkey with the milk, rose by hard work and skill to be a great man. Learn from this lesson to try your best to get on in your calling, and then you will succeed.

EXERCISE.

What is a sculptor? Mention some of Sir Francis Chantrey's works of art. How did he show that he remembered his school? What have his friends erected to his memory?

LESSON XXVIII.

FRESH AIR.

IN-DIA, a country in the DAN'-GER-OUS, unsafe.

HOR'-RI-BLY, dreadfully.
HEALTH'-Y, free from dis-

ease.

CESS'-POOL, a pool of bad

water.

DES-TROY'-ED, put an end

to.

CROW'-DED, placed close together.

IN 1756 there was war in INDIA between the English and some Indian chiefs. One of these chiefs captured 146 Englishmen, and CROWDED them together in a small room which MEASURED about seven yards each way. There were two small windows in the room, but a close blind was over each.

These 146 Englishmen were in this small room all night. In the morning 123 of them were dead. What had caused the death of these men? It was the want of fresh air. They were all HUDDLED together in this BLACK HOLE, and they could not get enough fresh air to keep them alive. If we take 123 from 146, we shall see that only 23 were alive in the morning.

When several persons sleep together in the same room, and the window has not been opened during the day, though they may not be dead in the morning, they cannot feel well and strong. We wonder sometimes what it is that makes people catch fevers, fall ill, and die. It is CHIEFLY the want of fresh air.

If we wish to be free from SICKNESS, we should every morning open the windows, let out the bad, close air, and let in the good, pure air. People would add years to their lives if they would open their windows every day. Some boys are afraid of dogs, some of cows, and some of big boys that run after

them to hit them; but they ought to be more afraid of bad air than of all the dogs and cows and big boys in the world, as it will certainly do them more harm.

When we are in a close room which is full of people, we often feel faint and ill. What makes us feel so weak and bad? It is the want of fresh air. The poor English in the Black Hole in India first felt faint, then they fainted away, and before the morning came nearly all of them were dead.

But besides air which is bad from too many people breathing it, we are in danger from air that is poisoned from bad drains and CESSPOOLS. How do we know when we are breathing bad air of this kind? We can tell it by its bad smell. It is therefore a DANGEROUS thing to live in a place where there are bad drains and pools of water that smell badly. This bad air is very hurtful to people who breathe it, as it often makes them fall ill of a fever; and we all know when persons fall ill of a fever, how there are a great many that die, and only a few that get well again.

We should, therefore, take care to have all dunghills, cesspools, and pigsties a long way from the houses in which we live. In large towns, where people live very close together, persons are not allowed to keep pigs. It is a pity that many people are DESTROYED every year from want of knowing how to keep themselves from danger. When they become ill, they wonder what it is that is the cause of their illness. They know the pigsty is just round the corner, and a nasty pool that smells HORRIBLY is in front of their house; but they never think that these things have made them bad.

Let every boy and girl who reads this lesson do all they can to get as much fresh air as possible. Let them keep out of the way of bad drains and cesspools, and they will most likely continue HEALTHY and strong.

EXERCISE.

What caused the death of the Englishmen shut up in the Black Hole? What lesson should this teach us? What is it that causes fevers in towns and villages?

"ARRAH!" cried PAT; "arrah! stop him!" He was running after the pig, which had broken loose, and was SCAMPERING away from the CABIN.

Poor Pat was dressed in a loose grey coat, the tails of which were flying in the wind. He had on some breeches, which should have fastened at the knee, and his shoes were untied; his hat he had left at home in his hurry to PURSUE the pig.

The person to whom he called happened to be a lady, who was going to visit Pat's family at their little cabin.

He did not expect her to stop the pig, which had just run away with the loaf, but he did not quite know in his haste who the person was that he spoke to.

Seeing it to be a lady, he SUDDENLY stopped, touched a little lock of his hair for a bow, and in a moment said, "Sure, isn't it well for him to have it; but, faith, what shall I do for my dinner?"

The lady entered the cabin, followed by Pat; but the runaway pig was feasting away on the loaf, at a little distance, under a tree.

The cabin itself was a low THATCHED house, with a hole or two in the roof; so that in wet or windy weather it was far from being COMFORTABLE. There was not much furniture. The whole may almost be