THE IRISHMAN'S CABIN.

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included in the following list:-A three-legged table, not very large; three or four chairs, which were sadly out of repair; a small bed in one corner; two candlesticks; and a few broken pitchers on the MANTEL

PIECE.

The pig and a few fowls, which formed Pat's live stock, and the source of his profits, were allowed to walk as they wished about the cabin, and often to sleep there.

It cannot be said that Pat acted wisely in allowing them to do so; the habit of CLEANLINESS ought to have told him better.

The pig had been looking about for something to eat, and the loaf of bread having fallen on the floor, it formed too great a treat to be RESISTED by the hungry animal.

Though Pat's cabin was not so neat a place as it might have been, it must be said, to his honour, that he was not an idle man. He would gladly have turned his hand to anything to earn an honest penny; and often he had to work hard, with little food and for small wages.

Pat's little boy, MIKE, would often, in the kindness of his heart, run on errands for a poor old woman who lived not far off. It is true she could not repay him as she could wish, for all the little acts of kindness which he did for her in her old age. She now and then gave him a penny, and many a time did she say that a blessing would attend him in after-life.

The lady in Pat's cabin was. in the habit of visiting this old woman, and reading to her. One day she asked her if she should send her servant, to fetch anything for her which she might want.

"Sure no, ma'am," said she, "there is Pat's little Mike, he does it all so well. Faith, I could trust him with anything."

Hearing so good an account of Mike, the lady felt a wish to see him; so she had called at Pat's cabin, and there she saw the little fellow. He did not look so smart or so tidy as he might if neatness had been more thought of in the cabin, but she saw in his

healthy appearance and GENEROUS face that he would make a useful man.

;

From that time the boy was taken into her service and, though the old woman lost a friend in Mike, the good lady did not forget to see that she did not want for ASSISTANCE such as Mike had given. Mike turned out a useful man; and many a time he has been heard to say that the blessing of the old woman had indeed come true, for he had always been happy and successful.

We should always respect and assist the aged and infirm ; if we do, a blessing will rest upon us.

EXERCISE.

How did Mike show he was kind-hearted? How was he rewarded? Who took notice of Mike?

EVERY morning that we have our breakfast we use cups and SAUCERS, and every day that we eat our dinners we want plates and dishes. These useful articles are made by men called POTTERS, who live in the north of STAFFORDSHIRE. About a hundred years ago they were not nearly so well made or so cheap as they are now. There are pictures on our dinner-plates,

JOSIAH WEDGEWOOD.

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and drawings on the cups and saucers, that look very pretty when they are clean and shining. At first these pictures were very foolish and very badly drawn, and the crockery was also ill-made and dear. Josiah Wedgewood, who was born about a hundred and forty years ago, did a great deal of good in making good plates, and cups and saucers, and in choosing beautiful pictures and patterns for them.

When he was a boy he went to school at Newcastle, in Staffordshire, which was more than three miles from Burslem, where he lived. If you look at the map of England, and find out Staffordshire, which is in the middle, you will see Newcastle and Burslem at the top of the county. There were not such good schools then as there are now, so little Josiah did not get on very fast. His parents must have thought it a good thing for him to go to school, or they would not have sent him to one that was three miles away. It must have been rough in winter, when the snow was deep and the frost sharp, but I dare say he liked a game at snowball and sliding on the ice. In summer it would be more pleasant, as he would have many games with his brothers going to school and coming back again. Even when he was very young he was very clever at cutting out PICTURES on paper with a pair of scissors. He would cut out all sort of things, such as dogs, cats, and horses, and give them to the other boys, who were much pleased with them.

The master, who was a stern man, did not like this very much, and I dare say Josiah got punished when he did not know his lessons, but he was a good boy, and did his work well. He saw that the more DILIGENT he was at school, the more able he would be to earn his living when he became a man. At the age of eleven he left school to go to work, and so he had not time to learn much.

Soon after he was seized with the small-pox, and he was obliged to be put to bed, and take MEDICINE from the doctor. He was a long time getting well, and what made it worse, the disease got into his leg, and made him lame. How very sorry he would be, when

he saw the other boys going to work, that he could not go too! He COLLECTED all the pictures that he could together, and looked at them again and again, and thought what a pretty thing it would be if he could press them upon plates and dishes so that they would never rub off. He thought if he worked hard year after year, he might at last make such beautiful ware that great men would buy them from him, and be proud to eat from them.

When he at last slowly got well, he was bound an APPRENTICE to learn how to make pots. It was part of the AGREEMENT that he was not to play at cards or dice, or to go with bad company to public-houses. Josiah was very careful to keep his promise not to do these things. All his spare time was taken up in trying to improve his learning, and to be clever at his trade.

When he became a man he did not succeed all at once. He often failed, but he never lost heart, and after every failure would try again. At last he made such beautiful things that great men heard of them, and bought them from him. He made a tea-service in his beautiful cream-coloured ware for the queen, who was much pleased with it. After this he was called the queen's potter, and he became a FAMOUS man. And not only in England, but throughout all Europe, men bought Wedgewood's plates and dishes, because they were better and cheaper than any others.

This should teach us to do our very best in whatever trade or calling we have to take up. Because Josiah Wedgewood was diligent in his BUSINESS, he stood before the king and the queen, and all the great men of the country, and became a rich and famous man. He gave money towards building a school, because he found out from his own life what a good thing learning is. He died in the year 1795, when he was sixty-five years old.

EXERCISE.

What was Wedgewood's trade? What affliction befel him when he was young? What king bought his beautiful ware? By what means did he make his way in the world?

RAP! rap! went the knocker at the door. It was the POSTMAN, who had brought some letters and newspapers. He had on a blue coat, with a red collar, on which were the letters G.P.O., the beginning letters of the words General Post Office.

There he goes again to the house over the way. He does not stay many minutes, for he has his hands full of letters, and every one is anxious to get the letters as soon as he can. Sometimes the letters bring us good news, and then they make us feel merry and glad. On the other hand, they sometimes contain sad news, perhaps of the death of some loved one, or some accident or misfortune that has happened to our friends, and which therefore AFFECTS ourselves.

It is well the postman does not know what they contain. His duty is to look at the address, and then deliver it to the person to whom it has been

sent.

To address a letter is to put the name and RESIDENCE of the person who is to receive it on the ENVELOPE, so that the postman may know where to take it. Many letters get mis-sent, for want of a good, plain address, and this very often causes a great deal of trouble, expense, and much waste of time."