a very hot country, you will see how much they would feel the need of a good supply of fresh water. So a fresh-water canal was made, bringing water from the River Nile, near to Cairo, to a place north of Lake Timsah. This place has since become a town of some size, and has been named Ismaila.

While this canal was being made, water was brought to the workmen by means of camels.

With much toil they brought the work to a close, and now a ship can sail right through from Port Said, the ENTRANCE on the MEDITERRANEAN side, to Suez, on the Red Sea opening.

Perhaps you will want to know the reason why Monsieur Lesseps wished so much to make this canal. He wanted to shorten the journey from Europe to the countries of Asia.

For instance, ships sailing from England to India were obliged to take a long voyage all round the Cape of Good Hope. It was something like a boy walking round the school-room to go from one side to the other, instead of going across it.

The canal cost an ENORMOUS sum of money to make it, and it is hoped that it will be not only a benefit to the people of Egypt, but that it will assist the people of Europe in their trade with Asia.

Of course the ruler of Egypt was pleased that the work had been finished, and that the labour of these men had done such great things for his country.

He invited many visitors from different countries at the opening of this canal. Those persons who visited Egypt were not only pleased with this work, but with many other curious sights which are to be seen in that old country.

was the motto of Monsieur Lesseps,

"PERSEVERE and he SUCCEEDED.

EXERCISE.

Who planned and canal unite? What How was this sup

Where is Egypt? How is it mentioned in the Bible? What is the name of the great canal? directed the work? What seas does the Idid the workmen suffer from at first? plied? What will be the great use of this canal? How did the ruler of Egypt show he was pleased with the work?

IN the lesson on fresh air we have seen how important it is to open our windows, and to remove all dunghills and CESSPOOLS far away from our houses. We shall see in this lesson that it is also necessary that we take great care to have pure water to drink.

Sometimes several people in the same street fall ill together, and everybody wonders what is the reason. They have, perhaps, no bad smells near their houses, no dunghills or PIGSTIES against them, so that it cannot be the bad air that has made them ill. the bad air, but it is the impure water.

It is not

They all drink water from the same pump, and some other drain has got into the pump water, and made it unfit to drink. If we drink it in this state it is POISONOUS, and will make us ill. We can tell a little by the look of the water; and the manner in which it tastes; but this is not always a sure test. But if we go to a chemist he will supply us with something, for a few pence, that will tell us clearly if the water is bad or not.

If we are in doubt whether the water we are drinking is good, it is better to boil it first, and then let it get cold again. It cannot then do us so much harm. In large towns, where great care is taken that the water is good, it is often purer than in country places, where we should expect it would be sweeter and better.

G

It is very curious to think that in the water we drink there are thousands of living things moving about with very funny shapes. These SINGULAR creatures are called animalcules-a word which means little animals. If we look into a glass of water with our naked eyes, we can see nothing at all of these little ANIMALS. But if we were to get a MICROSCOPE and look through that, we should see them swimming about with wonderful quickness, and running from one end of the glass to the other.

Some boys and girls might think that it does us no good to drink water that has such curious things in it as these. But so long as the water is pure and clear, the presence of these little animals makes it no worse, in fact, the water would not be so good if they were not in it.

But if we saw through a microscope a glassful of STAGNANT water, we should find that these creatures were larger and uglier than those in water which is pure. We should SHUDDER at the thought of drinking water which had such vile things crawling about

in it.

Although water is cheap and PLENTIFUL in England, yet in Eastern countries, where the weather is hot, it is not so easy to obtain it. Wells of water are a great TREASURE in those countries, and are very welcome to the weary TRAVELLER, who has been travelling for many hours across a burning desert.

EXERCISE.

How may we often trace the illness of people in the same street or district? What is curious about the water we drink? Where is water scarce?