His father was much vexed, because the vase had been given him by a particular friend. Nevertheless, as Benjamin, by willingly acknowledging his fault, had given a new proof of his regard to truth, his father did not scold him, but merely made him pay a little forfeit, to warn him of being so careless for the future; and recommended him to continue to speak the truth upon all

occasions.

Benjamin faithfully followed this advice. He spoke truth at school, as well as elsewhere. It sometimes happened that he was not so diligent and studious as he might have been; but he never endeavored, by tricks and falsehoods, to excuse his faults. On the contrary, if he had not performed his duty; or if he did not know his lessons perfectly, and his master asked the reason, he replied ingenuously: "Forgive me this negligence, Sir, for I confess I have been extremely indolent to-day;" or, perhaps, he acknowledged that he had taken so much pleasure in play, that he had entirely forgotten he had still something to learn. This ingenuousness made his master love him better than any of his other scholars, who always assigned false reasons to exculpate themselves when they had done any thing wrong. One day, however, there happened an affair at school which had nearly deprived poor Benjamin of all his reputation for sincerity. One of his school-fellows, a very wicked boy, had stolen two pretty medals, which were intended as rewards for those scholars who performed their duty best.

The master, in order to discover who had perpetrated this crime, ordered all the scholars to bring their satchels to be examined. Immediately the robber, fearful of being discovered and chastised, very wickedly put the medals into Benjamin's satchel.

Several scholars had already brought their satchels, but nothing was to be found. Benjamin, at length, brought his; but, in presenting it, behold, the medals fell to the ground! The poor boy was astonished; nevertheless, he was not confused, but picking them up, he gave them to his master.

"Is it you, Benjamin,” said he, "who have robbed me of these articles?" "No sir," replied the innocent youth, "I know not who could have put them into my satchel."

Under such circumstances, the master would not have believed any other boy; but he knew that he could rely on Benjamin's word: "No, my boy," said he, "you have not stolen my medals; you would have acknowledged the truth, I am sure. Some bad boy must have put them into your satchel."

Then, turning to the scholars, he said:"Which among you has been so wicked as to steal these things, and put them into Benjamin's satchel?"

They all declared themselves innocent; but he that was guilty soon betrayed himself. He colored deeply; and, on being pressed-by the master, he acknowledged the fault, and was severely punished. Benjamin, on the contrary, saw his innocence triumph; and, when he returned home, he said to his father,

"What thanks I owe you, my dear papa If you had not taught me to speak the truth, and to confess all my faults, I should have been despised and punished for a crime, which I never thought of committing."

Honor and justice, reason and equity, go a very great way in securing prosperity to those cure the best retreat, and the most honorable who use them; and, in case of failure, they se consolation.

THE KITE.

Mr. Nugent's children, being desirous of having a kite, asked their papa for osier sticks, paper, and packthread. Their papa, who was very good-natured, readily gave them what they wanted, and even assisted them in making the kite.

Towards evening, the kite was finished, and was put in an airy place, to dry during the night.

The next morning, Mr. Nugent said to his children:-"My dear boys, learn your lessons thoroughly; and when you know them, we will go into the fields together to fly the kite."

Scarcely had they taken their books, when their papa, being obliged to leave them for a short time, recommended to them to sit still in their places, and not to

go out till he returned. But, as soon as he was gone, Julius proposed to his brother to try the kite. He went in search of it immediately, took it in his arms, and went out of the house.

Charles followed; but he had not proceeded many steps before he stopped and said to his brother:-"I think we are both very naughty: after all the trouble which papa took yesterday to procure our pleasure, we are going to do what he has expressly forbidden;-this is certainly wrong. I cannot bear the thought of being so ungrateful: 1 will go no farther."

"You may do as you please," replied Julius; "but as for me, I shall go and amuse myself a few minutes, and then return to finish my lesson."

He accordingly proceeded to the fields,

unrolled the packthread, made all the needful preparations, and raised the kite into the air.

Julius had promised himself much pleasure in flying the kite; but he had none at all, for his conscience told him that he had done wrong.

Suddenly, he heard the voice of a man, who was in an adjoining field; and, supposing it to be the voice of his papa, immediately he drew in the packthread hastily, to lower the kite.

The packthread having caught in the branches of an old elm, Julius climbed the tree, in order to disentangle it; but, unfortunately, placed his foot upon a branch, which broke beneath his weight. Julius fell to the ground, and received a great deal of hurt, especially on his legs. It was some time before he was able to move. At length, however, with much pain, he dragged himself to the house, with the kite under his arm, all torn to pieces.

At the instant of his coming in, he saw his father, who entered by another door. Think how much ashamed of himself he must have been!

His papa, seeing how severely he was already punished for his fault, did not scold him; on the contrary, he took great care of him, and put him to bed.

Julius remained in his sick chamber for several days, suffering much pain, and bitterly repenting of his disobedience.

AMERICAN PRESIDENTS.

George Washington was born 22d February, 1732. He lived at Mount Vernon, Fairfax county, Virginia; was elected President of the United States in 1788, at the age of fifty-six years, and died December 14th, 1799, sixty-seven years of age.

John Adams was born 16th of Octoner 1735. He lived at Quincy, Norfolk county, Massachusetts, was elected President in 1796, at the age of sixty-one, and died July 4th, 1826, almost ninety-one years of age.

Thomas Jefferson was born in Chesterfield county, 2d April, 1743. He lived at Monticello, Albemarle county, Virginia; he was elected President in 1800, aged fiftyseven, and died July 4th, 1826, aged eightythree.

James Madison was born in 1750. He lives at Montpelier, Orange County, Virginia, was elected President in 1808, at the age of fifty-three years. He still lives in the enjoyment of good health, at Montpelier, in the eighty-fourth year of his age.

James Monroe was born in 1758. He lived in Loudon county, Virginia; was elected President in 1816, aged fifty-three. He died in New York, July 4th, 1831, at the age of seventy-three.

John Quincy Adams was born July 11th, 1767. He lives at Quincy, Norfolk county, Massachusetts, was elected President in 1824, by the House of Representatives; aged fifty-seven years.

Andrew Jackson was born in South Carolina, in 1765. He lived at Nashville, Tenn. was elected President in 1828, at the age of sixty-three, and reelected in 1832.

MAXIMS.

It ought always to be steadily inculcated, that virtue is the highest proof of understanding, and the only solid basis of greatness; and that vice is the natural consequence of narrow thoughts, that it begins in mistake, and ends in ignominy.

To be able to bear provocation is an argument of great wisdom; and to forgive it, is a proof of a great mind.

EDMUND AND HIS DOG.

There was once a little boy named Edmund. He was generally mindful and good-natured; but he had one fault, of which his parents found it difficult to cure him: he was too fond of delay. If he was sent upon a short errand, he would often stop by the road, and pass an hour in seeing the men mow down the grass. Or, he would lean over the railing of the bridge, that crossed the river, and gaze upon the water as it flowed swiftly underneath. Sometimes, he would crook a pin, and, tying it to a piece of twine, throw it into the stream, to try his luck at angling. I suspect that he

was never a very successful fisherman; although, occasionally, he used to boast of having had a "glorious nibble."

Edmund was also very apt to be tardy at school. He would come running in, after all the other boys were seated, and would wonder that it was so late. It was in vain, that his master reprimanded him, and that his parents advised him: his habit of delay still clung to him.

Among his other indulgences, Edmund had a dog, which was called, after one of its ancestors, Ponto. This dog was a good deal like his owner, of whom he was very fond. He would follow Edmund in his

saunter to school, and lay upon the doorsteps, until the boys were dismissed. Ponto would then wag his tail, and leap upon his young master, as if to let him know how glad he was to see him again. But Ponto, I am sorry to say, was a very mischievous dog. He would hunt among the bushes, and when he found a little bird's nest with some pretty eggs in it, he would seize it in his mouth, and bound away, to lay it at the feet of Edmund. Ponto would also take a wicked pleasure in frightening the cat, and in exciting the anger of the old hen, with her brood of chickens.

One Saturday afternoon, Edmund asked leave to go and visit his cousin, who lived about a mile distant. His mother told him that he might go, if he would come back before five o'clock. Edmund promised that he would not stay beyond that time, and whistling for Ponto, he left the house. He had not walked far, before he saw some large boys playing at foot-ball. Climbing a fence, he sat down to observe the game. Ponto stretched himself upon the ground, and sought amusement in catching the flies, which buzzed around his head. Suddenly, a great noise was heard in the road; and, turning round, Edmund saw a horse running away with a chaise, in which a little girl sat, pale with terror. Several men were running after the horse; and the boys immediately left their play, and joined in the chase. Ponto rose up, barked, and leaped forward, as if to encourage Edmund to follow him. Edmund did not hesitate long, but jumped from the fence, and followed the other boys.

The horse ran nearly two miles before he was caught. The little girl was saved, although she was much frightened. Edmund felt very tired when he came up to the spot,

where the chaise was stopped. The little girl was carried home to her father and mother; the horse was led back to the stable; the men went to their work, and the boys returned to their play. Edmund and Ponto remained alone.

It was now late in the afternoon. The sun was becoming less and less bright. Edmund sat down by the side of a brook to rest himself. He felt quite tired; but thought that he should be able to get home in good season. He concluded not to go to his cousin's house that afternoon. Seeing a piece of wood by his side, he threw it into the brook. Ponto jumped into the water, took the stick in his mouth, and brought it to Edmund. They played in this way till sunset, and then Edmund started up, and took the path towards his home.

The night was approaching fast. The crickets were chirping loudly from all sides, and every thing seemed to be settling into repose. Edmund tried to whistle, and Ponto barked. The trees grew thicker as they advanced, and at last Edmund could not see a single light streaming through the leaves. He was not a timid child, and he hastened forward with a light heart. But soon, he perceived that he had missed his way. He was very, very tired, and sat down on a large rock to repose himself. He thought of his situation, and sighed. Ponto leaped up, placed his fore-feet on Edmund's shoul ders, and wagged his tail. Edmund sighed again. Ponto barked, and run away.

Edmund stood up on the rock, and cried to call back the dog. But Ponto had forsaken him in his trouble, and he was now all alone. He could no longer keep from crying. His eyes were blinded with tears. The night grew darker and darker, and the grass was wet with dew.