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unite to make rules or laws by which

Our own national government is a REPUBLIC. the people make their own laws and choose their own leaders.

all of the people in the village or city A Republic is that form of government where shall live. They do this for mutual

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benefit and protection, and also to defend themselves against any common enemy. Can you think of some of the benefits? The people of States and Nations need certain laws by which all

shall live. They need them both for protection and for defense. This is government.

All bodies of people who are governed and protected by the same general rules or laws are said to live under the same GOVERNMENT.

There are different kinds of government, as home,

school, city, State, and national governments. Find out all you can about the government of your town or city: who the officers are, what their duties are, and how they are paid.

MEANS OF PROTECTION AND

DEFENSE.

THE NAVY.-Every important country in the world owns and supports a NAVY for protection and defense. A navy protects the coast of the country to which it belongs. It also protects the interests of that country in foreign lands and it protects their merchant vessels at sea.

A navy consists of navy yards, of armored battleships, cruisers, torpedo-boats, and other craft for the transportation of supplies. All of the boats carry guns and ammunition excepting those carrying supplies. The various naval vessels are commanded by

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officers and engineers, who have been specially educated for their position at their government's expense. The vessels are manned by gunners, sailors, and men representing different

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Point in the direction you see the sun come up in the morning. We call that direction East.

Point in the direction you see the sun sink out of sight at night. call that direction West.

We

the needle of the compass always points directly north; south is opposite. East and west, which are opposite to each other, are exactly halfway between north and south.

These four points of the compass are

Into which windows will the sun shine in the culled the CARDINAL POINTS.

morning? Into what windows will it shine late in the afternoon? Name the pupils who sit east of you in the school room; west of you. What objects are east of you in the building; west of you? Think

out from the school. What objects or build

WEST

N.W.

S.W.

MARINER'S COMPASS.

ings are east of the school? What west of the school? In what direction does your shadow point in the morning? At night?

In what direction does your shadow point at noon? We call that direction North.

Stand with your face to the north; your right hand will be toward the east; your left hand toward the west. South will be behind you.

Point south; north. Point to the pupils and objects in the school-room which are south of you; north of you. Tell as many objects as you can which are in the south part of the room; in the north part of the room. Point toward and name any prominent buildings or objects which are south of the school-building; north of the schoolbuilding.

In what part of the day are the shadows growing shorter? When are they shortest? In what part of the day are they growing longer? In which direction do the sun shadows never point?

Exact directions are learned by means of the MARINER'S COMPASS. When at rest

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Halfway be

tween north and east is Northeast; between south and east is Southeast; between north and west is Northwest; between south

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and west is Southwest.

These four points are called the SEMI

CARDINAL POINTS.

Point northeast, southeast, northwest, southwest. Name pupils and objects in the schoolroom which lie in any of these directions from you. Name buildings or objects out of doors, and tell in what direction each is from the school-building. Tell the directions you would take to go home. Tell the directions of other pupils' homes from your home. Tell the direction of the post office, the church, and town or city hall from your home. Point to the nearest village or city, and tell its direction from your home. Find out the direction of other large places from you. Point toward them.

In what direction does your shadow fall between nine and ten o'clock in the forenoon? between two and four o'clock in the afternoon? Toward which semi-cardinal points will your shadow never fall?

Observe if the shadows are always the same length at the same time of day.

Drive a stake in the schoolyard or a tack in the school-room floor on the first day you observe the noon shadow. Note if the shadow grows shorter or longer each day. Mark its limit in each direction.

Note what season is approaching as the shadows become longer; as they become shorter.

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paper. Carefully observe it. Tell us whether it is coarse or fine, whether it has pebbles or gravel in it. You find that each little grain of sand is glassy in appearance. If you should rub it on your slate or desk, it would scratch it. If you should rub it between your thumb and finger it would hurt or cut you. These facts tell us that it is very hard, like a bit of rock, and has sharp edges. It was once a part of a rock ledge. Do you know of any ledge near your school?

The rocks of the world have been broken up and worn down in various

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Observe clay. You find it very fine and

UPON SOLID ROCK dust-like. When wet

Some

soils seem
much more moist
than others, and
different plants
grow in them from
those which grow
in dry soils.

Some soils are fertile. They have

great deal of plant food.

Other soils are sterile. They have little plant food. I wonder how many kinds of soil you know?

Bring to school specimens of the diferent kinds in your neighborhood. Take some sand upon a small square of white

it is sticky.

It feels very smooth and greasy when you rub it between your thumb and finger. Breathe on it, and you find it has an odor like your slate or slate-pencil.

Bring a piece of granite into school.

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forms clay beds. These beds hold a great deal of moisture.

Porcelain, chinaware of all kinds, pottery, and brick for building are made from clay.

After many years of heat and pressure, clay beds become slate beds, from which we get our slate.

Examine some soil from the woods. You see it is very dark-colored, moist, and full of bits of leaves and sticks. It is leaf-mold, and is formed by the decaying leaves, twigs, and roots of the forests. It is a very rich soil, and our garden flowers will thrive in it.

Observe garden soil or loam. You will find it a mixture of the other soils. Last year's stalks, roots, and leaves have

ROCKY LEDGE

BREAKING OF AR

off.

Our clothes, furniture, cooking utensils, water and gas pipes, cars and carriages, and all things that are made, wear out and go to pieces, making dust and dirt. What tells us that the iron and tinware and the

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they wear out

sooner out of doors or in doors? Why? SOIL is made by the wearing and decay of rocks and of all plant, animal, and mineral substances.

How do rocks wear out and decay?

If you examine a rock ledge you will see cracks in it. You see them in the picture on the preceding page. Into these cracks water finds its way, and after a time it softens the rock. In win

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