The Project Gutenberg eBook, More Seeds of Knowledge; Or, Another Peep at Charles., by Julia Corner

The Baldwin Library
University of Florida

MORE SEEDS OF KNOWLEDGE;

OR, ANOTHER PEEP AT CHARLES.

BEING, AN ACCOUNT OF
CHARLES'S PROGRESS IN LEARNING;
ABOUT BLACK SLAVES;
A CONVERSATION ON HISTORY; AND
MISSIONARIES.

BY MISS JULIA CORNER.

EMBELLISHED WITH SEVEN ELEGANT COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.

LONDON

CONTENTS

CHAP. I.

CHARLES'S PROGRESS IN LEARNING.

CHAP. II.

BLACK SLAVES.

CHAP. III.

A VISIT TO THE THEATER.

CHAP. IV.

CONVERSATION ON HISTORY.

CHAP. V.

MISSIONARIES.

ILLUSTRATIONS

THE INCA'S SURPRISE AT SEEING A WATCH

LITTLE CHARLES LEARNING GEOGRAPHY

THE AFRICAN TORN FROM HIS HOME BY WHITE-MAN

MAN (Drawing)

LITTLE CHARLES SEEING A CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME

CONVERSATIONS IN HISTORY. CHARLES IInd

THE GOOD MISSIONARY GOING ABROAD

THE GOOD MISSIONARY TEACHING THE SAVAGES TO BUILD

MORE SEEDS OF KNOWLEDGE;
OR, ANOTHER PEEP AT CHARLES.

CHAP. I.

CHARLES'S PROGRESS IN LEARNING.

You have heard a great deal about Charles in the Seeds of Useful Knowledge; perhaps you would like to hear a little more about him; for, as he was never tired of learning good things, I might fill many books, if I were to speak of every thing that his papa and mamma taught him. But I dare say all the boys and girls who read this, have kind parents or friends who teach them, as well as Charles's papa and mamma taught him; so I will only mention such things as they may not perhaps yet have heard.

But first of all, I must tell you what Charles has been doing, since you heard of him last. He was now a year older than he was then, and he was also wiser, for he could write pretty well, and read without spelling the long words; he knew the multiplication table, and the pence table too; and could do sums in multiplication without a mistake, when he took pains; but sometimes, when he was careless, or in a hurry, the sums were wrong: however, I am happy to say that did not happen very often. Besides all these things, Charles learned grammar, and geography, and could decline many Latin nouns; which was very well for a little boy not quite seven years old. But of all his lessons he liked geography best, he liked to find out places in the maps, and to know whereabouts the different countries were that he heard people talk of; and then his papa was often kind to tell him amusing stories about the inhabitants of those countries, and he also told him what things are brought from them: for instance, Charles knew that tea grows in China, which is in Asia; and sugar in the West-Indies; that the rose-wood that his mamma's chairs and card tables were made of, grew in a country called Brazil in South America; and that the raisins in the plum-pudding on Christmas day, were dried grapes, and came from Spain.

"Papa," said Charles one night, when he was, as usual, telling his papa what he had done in the course of the day,—"I wish I might learn more geography, instead of any grammar; I like it so much better: I like geography very much, but I do not like grammar at all."

"What is your objection to grammar, Charles?" said his papa.

"Oh, why—there is nothing amusing in it."

"And do you not think there is some other reason for learning, besides being amused?"

"Yes; I think we learn that we may grow wise; but I don't want to leave off learning, papa; I only want to learn something else, instead of grammar?"

Mr. Barber laughed, and told Charles, that no other kind of knowledge would be of much use to him without grammar, since nothing else would teach him to speak or write like a gentleman.

"Don't I speak like a gentleman now, papa?"

"You speak pretty well for a little boy, my dear; but you often make mistakes, which we think nothing of now, because we know that when you have learnt a little more grammar, you will know better; but if you were to make such mistakes when you are a man, you would be thought an ignorant person, and not be treated with respect."

"Can you tell me of any mistakes I make now papa?"

"Oh yes, I think I could very soon tell you of a great many. Just now, when you were standing at the window, I heard you say,—'There goes two white horses!' now that was a very great blunder, Charles."

"Was it, papa;—why?"

"Because it showed that you did not know the difference between singular and plural."

"But I do know the difference—singular means one thing, and plural means more than one."

"Exactly, so now try to find out the blunder."

Charles repeated the words two or three times, "there goes two white horses;" but he could not find out what was wrong, and after puzzling for a long while, he was obliged to give it up, and his papa