taining his own opinion, and determining not to yield to the others. Then if one party should undertake to begin in one place, the others might begin in another, and thus we might have rival and contending parties.

17. "Men have contrived a way to avoid all such danger. They first give each man an opportunity to say all that he wishes to, and then they quietly vote, with the understanding that the majority will rule. Will you do so now ?"

"Yes, sir," said all the boys, cordially.

18. While the master had thus been speaking, the boys had formed themselves into a ring around him; and they were now called upon, one by one, to say all they had to say before the question was finally taken. Most of the boys said nothing, for they were not accustomed to regular debate. Various opinions were, however, expressed by others, and then the question was taken. The boys differed in their final vote, but there was a majority in favor of a place a little further up the stream than the late dam, and the boys all seemed to acquiesce pleasantly in the decision. "I have taught them," thought the teacher, as he saw their pleasant countenances, one good

lesson in republicanism."

19. The teacher was right. I do not know how much arithmetic or geography he had taught them that day. But that short period of fifteen minutes, with its lessons in the exercise of judgment and of calm deliberation, and in the sacrifice of individual preference to the general welfare, and cheerful cooperation for a common purpose, may possibly have been the most valuable fifteen minutes of the day.

20. After the place for the dam was thus chosen, the boys said, that the first thing was, to cut down the tree. “No,” said the teacher, "that is not the first thing. I have often heard mothers complain, when boys were at work upon dams and ponds, that they wet their feet, and mudded their clothes, so` ̊as to give them a great deal of trouble. Now we must avoid that; and in order to do it, we must make, first, a little channel on one side of the place where the dam is going to be, so as to allow the water to pass off there. Then we must put some good dry earth down over the rest of the bed of the stream, so as to have a neat dry place to work in."

21. The boys agreed that this was a good plan; and in a short time this object was accomplished, by the help of a hoe which one of the boys had brought. They made a deep cut on one side of the bed of the stream, as the teacher had proposed, large enough to allow all the water to pass through, so that they might finish the dam completely before they stopped up the passage. They then began to think of going up the stream for a tree.

22. The teacher told them, that as the farmer wished them to go as far up the stream as possible, there must be a little calculation in order to determine how far up they could go. He told them, too, that he thought the best plan was for one of the boys to take his watch, and then all the boys could walk along the path which led into the woods, until five minutes of the recess were out. "Then," said the teacher, "you will have five minutes to cut down the tree; and after that, five minutes more to return,

Do you think you can cut down the tree in five minutes ?"

"Yes, sir," said all the boys.

23. "Well," said the teacher, "you know we must all be in when the recess has expired; so that if you meet with any difficulties, you must leave your tree until next time, should you not get it down and cut and trimmed and prepared to bring back, at the time allotted. Here," said he, "Jack Wilder, you may carry the watch, but remember you must do nothing else, on any account; and the other boys must leave their work, and set out on their return, immediately, when you say it is time."

24. Then he sat upon the green bank, and saw the company of boys going off on their expedition, Jack Wilder before the rest, holding the watch very carefully, and keeping an almost constant eye upon the minute hand. "The boy is learning a lesson of carefulness," thought he; "and he needs it, for he is the most careless boy of the company."

25. Thus far several days had elapsed, during which no visible progress had been made. The stream flowed as before, without obstruction, and some of the little boys began to be impatient. When, however, at length, the work actually commenced, it proceeded rapidly, and in what some of the boys called a magnificent style. They brought down from the hill the trunk of the tree which they had cut, and they fastened the two ends firmly into the bank on each side, digging trenches for the purpose.

26. They then took a great number of small stakes made of the limbs of their tree, and drove them down obliquely on the upper side of the log which

they had placed across, the upper ends of the stakes resting against the log. They then banked up the upper side of the dam with earth, so as to form quite a pathway on the top. A passage-way was left for the water, which they contrived to arch over with stones, the teacher having explained the principles of the arch, and shown them how to construct it in this instance. The work was thus completed, though it was perfectly dry, as the water had passed unobstructed under the arch during all their operations.

27. At last, one day, at the beginning of the recess, one of the boys was commissioned to stop up the arch and allow the dam to fill. The boys leaped around it with delight as the water rose, filling every corner and every indentation in the shore, and rising higher and higher, until it was nearly level with the top. They ran back and forth across the path which the broad top of the dam afforded, and leaped in exultation across the stream where it fell into the capacious basin which they had enclosed.

28. The teacher sat on the bank, enjoying their pleasure. The enjoyment which the whole scene had afforded him, did not arise merely from the thought that he had been most effectually teaching them habits of order and system in the transaction of business. He sympathized with them in the pleasure of the work: it was amusement to him as well as to them; for, though he was a man, he had not ceased to partake in the feelings of the boy,

LESSON XLIV.

THE TRUANT BOY'S END.

1. THE story of the truant, related in the twentyfifth lesson, was left unfinished. Some scholars might suppose, if that were all of it, that he was not so very foolish, in preferring a pleasant afternoon's excursion in that beautiful boat, to the studies of the school-room. But listen to what became of him.

2. This was the beginning of his departure from duty. One sin leads on to another; and he that begins to transgress, knows not to what lengths he may go. Many a boy has begun with swearing and sabbath-breaking, who has at last committed some great crime that led him to the gallows!

3. Henry little imagined, when he was hesitating whether to go to school, or to lay down his books under the tree, and jump into the boat, what the consequences of his decision would be. He had no idea then, of beginning and continuing a course of transgression, that would lead him so far and so fatally astray. But see what ensued.

4. Henry soon lost all interest in his studies. His lessons were neglected; he was idle and mischievous at school. He not only wasted his own time, and abused all his privileges, but was constantly trying to tempt others from doing their duty. If a studious boy sat near him, who was determined not to be tempted by Henry's offers of nuts or apples, he was sure to be teased by him, in every possible way,