more before I start for home. I am eager to see you all again.--Your
loving FATHER.
* * * * *
28. FATHER'S LAST LETTER.
1. MY DEAR CHILDREN,--This is the last letter which I shall write to you
from abroad. I hope to sail for home in a week's time. I shall send you
a telegram to tell you when I shall arrive. You must all come to the
station to meet me.
2. Look at the globe and find North America. The northern half is called
Canada, and the southern half is called the United States. I am now in
New York, the largest city of the United States.
3. The people of the United States speak English. The forefathers of
many of them came from our islands. But the United States do not belong
to Britain. Their flag is not the Union Jack, but the Stars and Stripes.
4. This morning at breakfast a black man waited upon me. His skin was
very dark, his lips were thick, and his hair was short and curly.
5. Are you not surprised to hear that there are black men in America?
There are thousands of them in New York. In the southern part of the
United States there are more black men than white men.
6. Most of the black men live in the hot part of the United States,
where cotton and sugar are grown. White people cannot work in the cotton
or sugar fields, because the sun is too hot for them.
7. The black people who live in the United States were born in America.
They have never known any other land. America, however, is not their
real home. They really belong to Africa.
8. How is it that we now find them in America? When the white men of
America began to grow cotton and sugar, they needed black men to work in
the fields. Men called "slavers" went to Africa in ships. They landed
and pushed inland. When they came to villages they seized the people and
drove them off to the ships.
9. The poor blacks, who were thus dragged from their home and kindred,
were thrust into the holds of ships and carried to America. Sometimes
they suffered much on the voyage. The weakest of them died, and were
thrown overboard.
10. When they reached America they were sold to the cotton-growers and
sugar-growers, who carried them off to work in the fields. Sometimes
they were kindly treated; sometimes they were flogged to make them work.
But whether kindly or cruelly treated, they were no longer men and
women, but slaves.
11. This went on for many years. At last some kind-hearted men in the
northern states said, "It is wicked to own slaves. All the slaves in
America shall be set free."
12. The farmers of the south were very angry when they heard this, and
said that they would not free their slaves. Then a fierce war broke out.
The North beat the South, and when the war came to an end all the slaves
in America were set free.
13. The blacks still work in the cotton and sugar and tobacco fields;
but they now work for wages, just as I do. They are free to come and go
as they please.
[Illustration: {Five black children}]
14. The darkies are very merry and full of fun. When their work is over
they love to sing and dance to the music of the banjo. Some of their
songs are very pretty. I will sing some of them to you when I come home.
Good-bye, dears. I shall soon be with you now.--Your loving FATHER.
* * * * *
29. HOME AGAIN.
1. The telegram came soon after breakfast. Father was coming home that
very day. We were so delighted that we sang and danced and clapped our
hands, just like the darkies.
2. Mother was very busy. "You must all come and help me," she said. "The
house must be made beautiful for father's return."
3. May and I worked with mother, but the day passed very slowly.
Father's train was to arrive at six o'clock. By half-past five we were
all at the station waiting for him.
4. At last the train steamed in, and out jumped father. Oh, how we
hugged and kissed him! Father was well, and he looked very brown.
5. I sat next to him in the cab. He told us that his ship had only
reached Liverpool that morning. He had taken the first train for home,
because he wished to see us so much.
[Illustration: {Father in cab with one of his daughters}]
6. After tea he opened one of his boxes. "I have brought each of you a
present," he said. "Sit down, and I will show you some pretty things."
7. Mother's present was a dress from India. It had gold and beetles'
wings on it. They were a lovely shiny green, just like jewels.
8. My present was a necklace of beautiful blue stones. May's was a
dolly, dressed just like an Indian lady. Tom's was a kite from Japan. It
was shaped just like a dragon. Of course, we were all delighted with our
gifts.
9. Then father told us many things about his travels. "I have been right
round the world," he said. "I sailed to the East, and I went on and on
until I returned to the place from which I set out."
[Illustration: {Father at home with his family}]
"I know," cried Tom. "I have followed you all round the world on the
globe."
10. May was sitting on father's knee. "Dad," she said, "I suppose you
are the very first man who has ever been right round the world." "Of
course he is," said Tom.
11. Father laughed. "No, my dear," he replied; "thousands of men had
been round the world before I was born."
12. "I'm so sorry," said May. "I did so want to tell the girls at school
that my father was the very first man who ever went round the world."
EXERCISES.
(_To be worked under the direction of the teacher_)
* * * * *
Lesson 1.
1. The father travelled by train. In what other ways might he have
travelled? Which is the fastest way? Which is the slowest?
2. What power drives the train? What other work does this power do?
3. Look carefully at the first picture in this book. Describe it.
4. Learn: _A globe is a small model of the earth._ Of what shape is
the earth? Of what shape are the sun, moon, and stars?
Lesson 2.
1. The name of the town on the seashore (par. 2) is Dover. Turn to the
picture on page 11 {Illustration entitled "The White Cliffs of Dover"}
and describe the cliffs of Dover as seen from the sea.
2. The distance between Dover and Calais is only twenty-one miles.
Learn: _A narrow passage of water joining two seas is called a strait._
The word _strait_ means "narrow." This strait is called the Strait of
Dover.
3. Model the Strait of Dover in clay or plasticine. Suppose the water
between England and France were to dry up, what would the strait be
then? Write out and learn: _A valley is a hollow between hills or
mountains._
Lesson 3.
1. The river which runs through Paris is called the Seine. The river
which runs through London is called the Thames. Learn: _A river is a
large stream of fresh water flowing across the land to join another
river, a lake, or the sea._
2. Look carefully at the picture on page 14 {Illustration entitled "In
the Gardens"} and describe it.
3. Compare French boys with English boys. Compare French girls with
English girls.
Lesson 4.
1. Look carefully at the picture on page 18 {Illustration entitled "The
Grape Harvest"} and describe it.
[Illustration: {Silkworm on mulberry leaf}]
2. Copy this little drawing of the silkworm and the mulberry leaf.
3. Why do flowers bloom earlier in the south of France than in England?
4. Describe the picture on page 20 {Illustration entitled "Games on
Board Father's Ship"}.
Lesson 5.
1. The Nile carries much mud in its waters. If there is a stream near
your school, go to it and get a bottleful of water. Let this water stand
for a time and notice the mud which settles down. Where does this mud
come from?
[Illustration: {Palm tree}]
2. Copy this little drawing of a palm tree. The Arabs say that the palm
tree loves to have its foot in the water and its head in the fire. What
do you think this saying means?
3. Look at the picture on page 23 {Illustration entitled "The Nile in
Flood"}. What animals do you see in the picture? Tell me something about
each of them.
Lesson 6.
[Illustration: {Two pyramids}]
1. Copy this little drawing of two of the oldest buildings in Egypt.
Such buildings are called _pyramids_. Write out this word six times. You
will see pyramids in the picture on page 23 {Illustration entitled "The
Nile in Flood"}. Of what shape is the ground on which a pyramid stands?
Make a _ground plan_ of a pyramid.
2. How do we know what the men of Egypt were like in olden times?
3. The picture on page 25 {Illustration entitled "The Chief City of
Egypt"} shows you a street in Cairo, the chief town of Egypt. Describe
the picture.
Lesson 7.
1. Write out and learn: _A long deep ditch filled with water is called
a canal._ Model a canal in clay or plasticine. What is the difference
between a canal and a strait?
[Illustration: {Lighthouse}]
2. Copy this little drawing of a lighthouse. Write out and learn: _A
lighthouse is a tower near the sea. It shows a bright light at night to
warn sailors of rocks or shallow places._
3. Why does a big ship "go slow" through the Suez Canal?
Lesson 8.
1. Write out and learn: _A desert is a rainless tract of country on
which little or nothing will grow._ How can a desert be turned into a
garden?
[Illustration: {Arab tent}]
2. Copy this little drawing of an Arab tent. Why do the Arabs who wander
from place to place live in tents?
3. Write out and learn: _A green spot in a desert is called an
oasis._ Several of these green spots are called _oases_.
Lesson 9.
1. The palm is said to have as many uses as there are days in the year.
Name some of these uses.
2. Why is the camel called the "ship of the desert"?
3. Go to a sand heap. Stand on it; you sink in. Put a piece of board on
the sand and stand on it; the board does not sink in much. Now turn to
the picture on page 105 {Illustration entitled "Boys of Canada in
Winter"}. You will see a pair of snow-shoes on the snow. A boy's foot
will sink into the snow. When he stands on the snow-shoes he does not
sink in. Find out why. Notice the camel's foot, and tell me why it does
not sink into the sand.
Lesson 10.
1. In what ways do the people of Bombay differ from the people of your
town or village?
2. Why are the people of hot lands dark in colour?
3. Look at the picture on page 47 {Illustration entitled "The Village
Well"}. Describe it.
Lesson 11.
1. What is the difference between our shops and the shops of Bombay?
2. How do Indian boys play at marbles?
[Illustration: {The Union Jack}]
3. Copy this drawing of the Union Jack. Colour it with chalks.
Lesson 12.
1. With a pair of scissors cut out a square of paper. Fold it into two;
then into four; then into eight, and lastly into sixteen. Open out the
paper. If the whole square stands for the size of India, one of the
small squares will stand for the size of our land.
[Illustration: {Punkah}]
2. Copy this drawing of a punkah. What is the use of a punkah?
3. Suppose you forget to water your plants, what happens? Suppose you
water them too much, what happens?
Lesson 13.
1. Write out and learn: _A mountain is land which rises high above the
level of the country round about it. A row of mountains joined together
by high ground is called a mountain range or chain._
2. Write out the following:--"Some mountains may be called water savings
banks. The rain freezes as it falls and becomes snow. On very high
mountains this snow never melts. It gets deeper and deeper, and the
lower part turns into ice. This ice creeps slowly down the mountain side
until it comes into air that is warm enough to melt it. The water which
flows away from the ice forms a river. Many large rivers begin in
melting ice-fields."
3. Describe the picture on page 55 {Illustration of a town on the Ganges}.
Lesson 14.
[Illustration: {Palanquin}]
1. Make a copy of this little drawing. It shows you a palanquin--that
is, a box carried on poles. Rich ladies are carried from place to place
in India in palanquins of this kind.
2. Compare the life of a rich Indian girl with that of our girls.
3. "They sang 'God Save the King' for me." Who is their king? Have the
people of India ever seen him?
Lesson 15.
1. Describe the picture on page 61 {Illustration entitled "An Indian
Rajah"}.
2. Describe an elephant. Of what use is he?
3. Tell me what you know of tigers. How are tigers hunted?
Lesson 16.
1. In what way does a Burmese girl differ from an Indian girl?
2. Copy the drawing of a Burmese girl on page 66 {Illustration of
Burmese woman with an umbrella}.
3. Write out the following: "The Burmese alphabet is very hard to learn.
Dull boys often take a year to learn it. In the monks' schools the lazy
boys are sometimes punished by being made to carry the hard-working boys
on their backs up and down the schoolroom."
Lesson 17.
1. What is the difference between Burmese football and British football?
2. Describe the picture on page 68 {Illustration of boys playing Burmese
football}.
3. Write out the following: "Rice is a grass on which many seeds grow.
These seeds are eaten. Rice will only grow in wet ground. The fields are
flooded with water, and then the rice-shoots are planted. The fields
must be kept flooded until the rice is ripe. In India, men sometimes
gather the rice in small boats."
Lesson 18.
[Illustration: {Rickshaw}]
1. Copy this little drawing of a rickshaw.
2. Write out the following: "Tea is the name given to the dried leaves
and young shoots of the tea-plant. This plant is a large evergreen
shrub. It grows on the hillsides of Ceylon, and in many other places in
the East. When the leaves are picked, they are spread out in trays until
they wither; then they are rolled. Wet cloths are next placed over the
leaves, and they are put in a cool dark place, until they rot a little.
The leaves are then dried over a fire, and after cooling are packed in
air-tight chests. They are then sent to our country."
3. Describe the picture on page 75 {Illustration entitled "Ceylon Girls
Playing the Tom-Tom"}.
Lesson 19.
1. Old cities have walls round them. Why were these walls built? Why are
they of no use now?
[Illustration: {Chinese wheelbarrow}]
2. Copy this drawing of a Chinese wheelbarrow.
3. Why do the Chinese paint an eye on the bows of their boats?
Lesson 20.
1. Describe the picture on page 78 {Illustration entitled "A Chinese
Street"}.
2. Say what you know about a Chinese school.
3. How can you tell a Chinaman when you see him?
Lesson 21.
1. Describe the picture on page 88 {Illustration entitled "A Rich
Chinaman's House"}.
2. In what ways do Chinese girls differ from British girls?
3. Write out the following: "The Great Wall of China is the longest wall
in the world. It was built about two thousand years ago, and was meant
to shut out the wild tribes which were then trying to conquer China. The
wall is more than twice as long as the island of Great Britain. It is
built of stone and earth, and is so broad that four horses can be driven
on it abreast. The wall is now in ruins."
Lesson 22.
1. Write out and learn: _An island is land with water all round it.
People can only reach an island by sailing to it in a boat or by
crossing a bridge._ A small island is called an _islet_.
2. Model an island in clay or plasticine. Suppose the water round an
island were to dry up, what would the island be then?
[Illustration: {Snow-covered mountain}]
3. Copy this little drawing. It shows you the sacred mountain of Japan.
4. Write out and learn: _A volcano is a hole in the ground out of
which steam, ashes, mud, and melted rock are thrown. An earthquake is a
shaking or tearing apart of the ground._
Lesson 23.
1. Which should you prefer to be--a boy or a girl (1) in Japan, (2) in
India?
2. Describe the picture on page 90 {Illustration entitled "The Toy Seller"}.
3. Try to make a drawing of a kite just after its string has been cut by
the glass on the string of another kite.
Lesson 24.
1. Write out and learn: _A plain is a wide tract of low-lying and
nearly level country. A high plain is called a plateau._
[Illustration: {Salmon}]
2. Copy this drawing of a salmon. What do you know about salmon?
3. Which should you like to do best--till the fields, cut down trees, or
catch salmon? Say why.
Lesson 25.
1. Describe the picture on page 105 {Illustration entitled "Boys of
Canada in Winter"}. Why do the boys cover up their ears?
2. What sports do these boys enjoy in winter?
[Illustration: {Canoe}]
3. Copy this drawing of a canoe.
Lesson 26.
[Illustration: {Wigwam}]
1. Copy this little drawing of a wigwam--that is, a Red man's tent.
2. Describe the picture on page 102 {Illustration entitled "Red Men and
White Men"}.
3. How did the Red men hunt the bison? What has become of the bison?
Lesson 27.
1. Look carefully at the picture on page 111 {Illustration entitled
"Amongst the Eskimos"}. Compare it with the picture on page 35
{Illustration entitled "Arabs of the Desert"}.
2. Why are the Eskimos fishermen and hunters, and not farmers?
3. How would you build a snow house? Would it be very cold to live in?
If not, why not?
Lesson 28.
1. Describe the picture on page 102 {Illustration entitled "Red Men and
White Men"}.
2. Write out the following: "The cotton plant loves sun and water, and
will only grow in the hot, moist parts of the world. It throws out
flower stalks, at the end of which pods appear. Inside the pods is a
soft, white down, which is called cotton. This is spun and woven into
cloth."
3. What is the difference between cotton and wool?
Lesson 29.
1. Look at a globe. Find a line running round the globe at the thickest
part. This is called the _Equator_, because it divides the earth
into two _equal_ parts. The hottest parts of the earth lie round
about the Equator. The distance round the earth at the Equator is 25,000
miles. A railway train, running 50 miles an hour, and never stopping,
would require nearly three weeks for the journey. Find out whether
father's voyage was longer or shorter than this.
2. Measure with a band of paper the distance on the globe from the
Equator on one side to the Equator on the other. Find half this distance
and mark it on the globe. Then mark the same distance on the other side
of the Equator. The points which you have marked are called the
_Poles_. One is the _North Pole_; the other is the _South
Pole_.
3. Learn: _We divide the land of the earth into five great parts;
each of these parts is called a continent. There are five
continents_--_Europe, Asia, Africa, America, Australia. We divide
the water of the earth into five great parts. Each of these parts is
called an ocean. There are five oceans_--_Atlantic, Pacific,
Indian, Arctic, and Antarctic. The Arctic Ocean is round the North Pole;
the Antarctic Ocean is round the South Pole_.