Ab ra ca dab ra.
Now you have read the parts of the word ab-ra-ca-dab-ra all separated,
you can read them very easily together, so as to make one word, and the
word will be Abracadabra.
5. This long and hard word was the name of a false god, that was
worshiped many hundreds of years ago, by a people who did not know the
true God, whom we worship; and they very foolishly supposed that by
wearing this name, written on paper, in a certain manner, it would cure
them of many diseases.
6. Here are a few more long and hard words, divided in the same manner,
which you may first read by syllables, that is, one syllable at a time:
Val e tu di na´ ri an.
In de fat i ga bil´ i ty.
Hy po chon dri´ a cal.
Me temp sy cho´ sis.
Hal lu ci na´ tion.
Zo o no´ mi a.
Ses qui pe dal´ i ty.
7. You may now read these long words as they are here presented, without
a division of the syllables, as follows: valetudinarian,
indefatigability, hypochondriacal, metempsychosis, hallucination,
zoonomia, sesquipedality.
8. Now, you see that words which look hard, and which you find difficult
to read, can be easily read, if you take the pains to divide them into
parts or syllables, and not try to read the whole word at once.
9. I now propose to relate to you a little story which I read when I was
a little boy, and which I think will make you remember what I have just
told you about reading hard words, by first taking them to pieces, and
reading a part of them at a time.
10. A father, who was dying, called his seven sons around his bed, and
showed them a bundle of small sticks tied together, and asked each one
to try to break all the sticks at once, without untying the bundle.
[Illustration]
11. Each of the sons took the bundle of sticks, and putting it across
his knee, tried with all his strength to break it; but not one of them
could break the sticks, or even bend them, while they were tied
together.
12. The father then directed his oldest son to untie the bundle, and to
break each stick separately. As soon as the bundle was untied, each of
the sons took the sticks separately, and found that they could easily
break every one of them, and scatter them, in small pieces, all about
the floor.
13. "Now," said the father, "I wish you, my dear sons, to learn a lesson
from these sticks. So long as you are all united in love and friendship,
you need fear little from any enemies; but, if you quarrel among
yourselves, and do not keep together, you see by these little sticks how
easily your enemies may put you down separately."
14. Now, this was a very wise father, and he taught his sons a very
useful lesson with this bundle of sticks. I also wish to teach you, my
little friend, whoever you are, that are reading this book, another
useful lesson from the same story.
15. Hard words, especially long ones, will be difficult to you to read,
unless, like the sons in the story, you untie the bundle; that is, until
you take the long words apart, and read one part or syllable at a time.
Thus you may learn what is meant by that wise saying, "_Divide and
conquer_."