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Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1843, by CALEB BartLETT, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.

STEREOTYPED BY T. B. SMITE,

74 FULTON-STREET, NEW YORK.

PREFACE.

THE favor shown by the public to the "New Juvenile Readers," has encouraged the author to hope, that the Sequel to them will meet with the same favorable reception.

In forming this compilation, the object has been to preserve the same chasteness in the pieces selected, and to observe the same attention to the morals of youth as in the New Juvenile Readers." :: [See Preface to "New Juvenile Readers."] The materials have been taken from the most admired and elegant writers; and, the pieces generally contain a greater variety of style and composition. It is presumed, therefore, that this work will form a proper "Sequel to the Juvenile Readers ;" and, that it will be well calculated to allure the tender mind to the love of knowledge, and to the practice of virtue and religion; to inform the understanding, and please the imagination; to warm the opening bosom with social and benevolent affections; to inculcate the several duties and principles of morality; and, thereby to improve, both in private families and in Schools, the higher class of young readers.

It is well known, that the influence of school exercises, in the formation of young minds, is very great; and, perhaps, that influence does not operate with more force in any department of education than through the medium of lessons for exercise in reading. Chastity of thought, and purity of diction, have, therefore, been objects of the author's peculiar attention.

The author has great confidence in the favorable reception of this work, from the circumstance that it will present to the American youth, a selection of pieces, a large portion of which is from American writers. The English Reader, the book most generally in use in the schools of this country, does not contain a single piece written by

an American; and, pride for the literary reputation of our own country, should, it would seem, dictate to us the propriety of inserting in the books to be used in our public and primary schools, specimens of our own literature. And again; should the children of the United States, this great nation, be compelled to read, year after year, none but the writings and speeches of men, whose views and feelings are in direct opposition to our institutions and our government?

In this Series of Reading-Books, all the new words contained in each Reading Lesson, are placed at the head of the Lesson, divided, pronounced, accented, and defined, with the part of speech designated. Thus, all the words in Reading Lesson I, New Juvenile Reader, No. I, are formed into a Spelling Lesson, and placed at the head of the Lesson. Then, all the words in Reading Lesson II, not in Reading Lesson I, are formed into a Spelling Lesson, and placed at the head of Reading Lesson II, and so throughout the five Reading-Books, viz.-New Juvenile Reader, Nos. I, II, and III, Sequel to the Juvenile Readers, and North American Reader, The scholar will thus have an opportunity to become acquainted with the spelling, pronunciation, accentuation, and definition of all the words in each Reading Lesson before he reads them; or, if already acquainted with their orthography and pronunciation, he can go over these as a kind of review, while learning the definitions of the words. When a word has more than one distinct definition, that one applicable to its first use in the Reading Lesson is given in Italic. The importance of definitions in elementary Reading-Books will be fully appreciated when we reflect that a great many words, in common use, have two, three, or even four dif ferent spellings while the pronunciation is the same; as, vane, vain, vein; pare, pair, pear; rite, right, write, wright; slay, slaie, sley, sleigh, &c., &c., none of which can be learned except their pronunciation and definition be associated; no distinction being made to the ear, but only to the eye on paper. The same may be said of the words differently accented when a different part of speech. Again; no scholar should read any lesson without first becoming acquainted with the meaning of every word of

which it is composed. The scholar, also, being accustomed to the practice of defining every word from the very first attempt to read, will form a fixed habit of inquiring, in after life, into the meaning of every new word. To attempt to learn the definitions of words in the abstract columns of a dictionary, unconnected with the sentences or paragraphs in which the words are properly used, is worse than useless.

It is earnestly recommended that each word in every Spelling Lesson be pronounced, at sight, by the scholar, immediately before he has spelled the Lesson. [See Cobb's New Spelling Book, page 16.]

The author of this Series of Reading-Books is aware that selections of words for the purposes of Spelling have been made by several other authors of Reading-Books. But those words have been selected by them with very little regard to system or particularity. They have selected a few words from each Reading Lesson, and placed them at the beginning or end of the Lesson, without having given the pronunciation, accentuation, or definition, or designated the part of speech, (except in a few cases in some of the larger books ;) and, what is still worse, if possible, the same word is repeated again and again, filling up the book uselessly, while other words, equally important, contained in the same Reading Lessons, are not inserted in any Spelling Lesson of the book.

Questions have been inserted at the end of each Reading Lesson so that, from the answers elicited, the teacher will know how far and how correctly the scholar has understood the subjects treated of in each Reading Lesson.

It is not from motives of ambition that this Series of Reading-Books is offered to the public, but from a desire to benefit the cause of elementary instruction; and, with those engaged in the laudable business of instructing the youth of our country, it is believed this will be a sufficient apology. LYMAN COBB.

New York, August, 1843.

INDEX.

Lesson.

I. The Education of the Poor,
II. A Sister's Love,.

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III. Character of a Christian Mother,... KIRWAN

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22

BRYANT 24

LONGFELLOW 27

THACKRAH 30

VII. Ancient Babylon, .... MONTHLY REPOSITORY 33
VIII. Virtue, the only True Happiness,... CAMOENS 36
IX. Summer Morning,

X. Niagara River and Falls,

38

41

...

XI. Description of the Natural Bridge in Vir-

ginia,

JEFFERSON 45

53

XII. Influence of the Dead on the Living, NORTON 49
XIII. The Thunder-Storm,..
XIV. National Glory,

XV. The Torrid and Frigid Zones,.. SHAFTESBURY 63

XVI. On Study, . .

XVII. The Autumn Evening,

XVIII. Washington's Love to his Mother,

XIX. The Respect due to all Men,

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XXI. Industry and Application,

83

88

XXIII. The Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Girl,

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XX. The Hypocrite,

XXII. The Force of Conscience,

XXV. Travelling over the Andes,

XXVII. The Broken-hearted Woman,

XXVIII. Ingratitude, or Inkle and Yarico,..

IRVING 109

XXIX. The Resistance of the Colonies Advocated,

114

PATRICK HENRY 118

XXX. Address to the Surviving Soldiers of the Rev-

olution,.

XXXI. Domestic Economy,.

WEBSTER 121
C. BARTON 126

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