PREFACE. THE fourth volume of PLEASANT PAGES completes two-thirds of the series, which will extend to six volumes. It may be remembered, that the object for which this work was commenced is to exemplify the practice of an improved system of education, founded principally on the views of PESTALOZZI. The six volumes will thus comprise twelve subjects of instruction, viz.:Courses of Moral Tales, of Biography, Natural History, Botany, Object Lessons, English History, English Geography, Foreign Geography, Physical Geography, Grammar, Arithmetic, and Drawing; with a selection of Poetry, and pieces of Music. These Lessons are, as far as possible, arranged that there may be one for every week-day; so that the whole work may supply three years' daily instruction. As the price for the six volumes will be One Guinea, the cost of each year's instruction will be seven shillings, or 1s. 9d. per quarter; so that children of all classes may thus be educated for three years at an exceedingly cheap rate. It is almost unnecessary for the Author to repeat his thanks to the Public for the increasing patronage which the work still receives. He is gratified to find that, in consequence of the recommendations of its Subscribers, the circulation of the first volume is at present as rapid as it was at the beginning of its publication; and although, since then, several works of a similar nature have appeared, each has formed for itself a new sphere of usefulness, without limiting that of PLEASANT PAGES. THE PRIORY HOUSE, CLAPTON, June, 1852. P. There is very much Ada. I wonder what that is! "use." Remember the beau Do you know, Ion? It Ion. Yes; to be sure. means "men's lives." Here comes papa, and here are Willie and Lucy. Ada. Please, papa, what are we going to learn Biography for? P. I will tell you. Do you not know how men come into the world, and stop a little while, and die? Then they are forgotten. W. Are they all forgotten? P. Not all. Perhaps ninetynine out of a hundred are. But there are a few who live a better life than others. They think better thoughts than others, and they perform nobler actions. These men seem to live nearer to heaven than others do, and to keep company with angels and good spirits. So, because they rise up above others, we call them "great men." Ada. But what is the use of tiful hymn which we printed in PLEASANT PAGES some time ago: "Lives of great men all remind us L. I remember that very well, papa; and I remember the next verse: "Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o'er life's solemn main, A forlorn and shipwreck'd brother, Seeing, may take heart again." So, I suppose we are to learn biography to see how these men lived, and to make our lives like theirs; we are to follow them. P. True. They are our guides; they have been compared to stars. You have heard how, sometimes, in dark nights, the traveller loses his way, and looks up to the stars to guide him safe home. W. That is, if he knows them. L. I should like that, papa, very much. P. So, when we have taken their portraits, we shall have a P. Yes. So great men are like bright stars, which guide our wandering spirits to the heavenly land from whence all spirits come; that is to say-picture-gallery of great men. if you know them. They will teach us moral lessons on industry, and order, and much else that is good. But to-day I will only tell you a little tale to show you how I first learned to love industry. W. Only, some stars move about; they are not certain. "Planets" they are called. P. But there are fixed stars. There is one called the Polar star, a true and fixed star, which is the most sure guide the traveller can find. So there has lived in this world One who led a true life, brighter than that of any man; and when guided by it men are sure of reaching heaven. W. Ah! you mean JESUS CHRIST, papa. Shall we hear of Him first? P. Not now; we will talk of Our Saviour on the Sabbathdays, and you shall read His life from our new book for the Sunday.* THE NOBLEMAN'S SON. When I was about eight years old I used sometimes to take my pony to the blacksmith's to be shoed. I liked that blacksmith's shop, for I used to sit in a dark corner and watch the bright fire while the pony's shoes were put on. Oh, wasn't that a merry fire! What games the fire and the bellows used to play there all day long! As soon as Dick Bird, the blacksmith's son, moved the great bellows' handle, you heard a roar -some one seemed to sing out This is the idea I have for to the fire, "Wor-or-or-or-ork." our new course. Last year (1851) was the year of the EXHIBITION OF INDUSTRY. Then, men saw what Industry can do, learned how much they owe to her, and learned to honour her. The beautiful fruits of industry which were there collected, are now scattered again. But we may still make a beautiful Exhibition. Instead of the exhibition of their works, suppose I exhibit to you the lives of some of the great industrious men to whom we owe so much? Ada. That was the bellows! P. So it was! And then the fire brightened up and worked with all his might. If he had been smouldering lazily, with a tired red face, the sound of the bellows put new life into him. Up started the yellow flames and burned brightly. "Worork!" said the bellows once more; then they burned more brightly. "Worororork-worororork," grumbled old bellows again in double bass, and then they burned most brightly; so that the blacksmith threw them in a piece of iron to burn. Then indeed they danced about like * LITTLE HENRY'S SUNDAY BOOK. mad things, until the black |