with every new state. The very colors have a language, which was understood by our fathers.

White is for purity, red for valor, blue for justice. Thus the bunting, stripes and stars together, make the flag of our country—loved by all our hearts and upheld by all our hands.

SELECTION II

THE SHIP OF STATE

  Thou, too, sail on, O ship of State!
  Sail on, O Union, strong and great!
  Humanity, with all its fears,
  With all the hopes of future years,
  Is hanging breathless on thy fate.

  We know what Master laid thy keel,
  What Workman wrought thy ribs of steel,
  Who made each mast, and sail, and rope,
  What anvils rang, what hammers beat,
  In what forge and what a heat
  Were shaped the anchors of thy hope!

  Fear not each sudden sound and shock,
  'Tis of the wave, and not the rock;
  'Tis but the flapping of the sail,
  And not a rent made by the gale.
  In spite of rock and tempest's roar,
  In spite of false lights on the shore,
  Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea.
  Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee;
  Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears,
  Our faith triumphant o'er our fears,
  Are all with thee,—are all with thee.

H. W. Longfellow.

LESSON V

"PRESS ON"

This is a speech, brief, but full of inspiration, and opening the way to all victory. The secret of Napoleon's career was this,—under all difficulties and discouragements, "Press on." It solves the problem of all heroes; it is the rule by which to weigh rightly all wonderful successes and triumphal marches to fortune and genius. It should be the motto of all, old and young, high and low, fortunate and unfortunate, so called.

"Press on." Never despair; never be discouraged, however stormy the heavens, however dark the way; however great the difficulties, and repeated the failures, "Press on."

If fortune hath played false with thee today, do thou play true for thyself to-morrow. If thy riches have taken wings and left thee, do not weep thy life away; but be up and doing, and retrieve the loss by new energies and action. If an unfortunate bargain has deranged thy business, do not fold thy arms, and give up all as lost; but stir thyself and work the more vigorously.

If those whom thou hast trusted have betrayed thee, do not be discouraged, do not idly weep, but "Press on." Find others: or, what is better, learn to live within thyself. Let the foolishness of yesterday make thee wise to-day.

LESSON VI

RESIGNATION

Rabbi Meir, the great teacher, sat one Sabbath day in the school of the holy law, and taught the people. The rabbi had two sons, who were youths of great promise and well instructed in the law. On that Sabbath day they both died.

Tenderly their mother bore them to an upper chamber, laid them on her bed, and spread a white sheet over their bodies.

In the evening Rabbi Meir came home. "Where are my sons," asked he, "that I may give them my blessing?"

"They are gone into the school of the law," was his wife's reply.

"I looked around me," said he, "and I did not see them."

She set before him a cup; he praised the Lord for the close of the Sabbath, drank, and then asked again, "Where are my sons, that they may also drink of the wine of blessing?"

"They cannot be far off," said his wife, as she placed food before him and begged him to eat.

When he had given thanks after the meal, she said, "Rabbi, allow me a question."

"Speak, my beloved," answered he.

"Some time ago," said she, "a certain one gave me jewels to keep for him, and now he asks them back. Shall I give him them?"

"My wife should not need to ask such a question," said Rabbi Meir.
"Would you hesitate to give anyone back his own?"

"Oh, no," replied she, "but I did not like to give them back without your knowing beforehand." Then she led him to the upper chamber, stepped in, and took the covering off the bodies.

"Oh, my sons," sobbed the father, "my sons, my sons!" The mother turned herself away and wept.

Soon, however, his wife took him by the hand and said: "Rabbi, have you not taught me that we must not refuse to give back what was intrusted to us to keep? See, the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: the name of the Lord be blessed."

And Rabbi Meir repeated the words, and said from the depths of his heart, "Amen."

LESSON VII

STATUE OF LIBERTY IN NEW YORK HARBOR

"Liberty," or Bartholdi's statue, was presented to the United States by the French people in 1885. It is the largest statue ever built. The great French sculptor Bartholdi made it after the likeness of his mother. Eight years were consumed in the construction of this gigantic image. Its size is really enormous. The height of the figure alone is fully one hundred and fifty feet. Forty persons can find standing room within the mighty head, which is fifteen feet in diameter. A six-foot man, standing upon the lower lip, can hardly reach the eyes of the colossal head. The index finger is eight feet long, and the nose is over three feet long. Yet the proportion of all the parts of the figure is so well preserved that the whole statue is in perfect harmony.

The materials of which the statue is composed are copper and steel. The immense torch which is held in the hand of the giantess is three hundred feet above tidewater.

The Colossus of Rhodes was a pigmy compared with this huge wonder.

LESSON VIII

INDEPENDENCE

Scholars, who are enjoying the priceless blessings of that liberty which cost our forefathers so much treasure and so much blood,—have you read the Declaration of Independence? If you have not, read it; if you have, read it again; study it; make its noble sentiments your own, and do not fail to grave deep in your memories these immortal lines:—

"We hold these truths to be self-evident; That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such forms, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."

SELECTION III

BE TRUE

  Thou must be true thyself,
    If thou the truth wouldst teach;
  Thy soul must overflow, if thou
    Another's soul would'st reach;
  It needs the overflow of hearts
    To give the lips full speech.

  Think truly, and thy thoughts
    Shall the world's famine feed;
  Speak truly, and each word of thine
    Shall be a fruitful seed;
  Live truly, and thy life shall be
    A great and noble creed.