understand what they read, and these are the people for whom my book is intended; and it is to be so contrived, that if any little reader thoroughly understands my first story, which is very easy, he will be able to understand the second, and that will help him on to the third, till, by degrees, the hardest story in the book will be quite plain to him; and he will then be fit for harder books, and will come in time to take in and love those difficult books which old people like.

My third class, then, consists of people who understand what they read, and can go with the person who writes, wherever he wishes to take them.

If you were to ask a person of the third class, whether he liked reading, he would say, Yes, very, very much; it is my greatest pleasure.

But perhaps you will ask, what is meant by going with the person who writes wherever he wishes to take you?

I will tell you what I mean: in my first story of the Red Shoes, the writer wishes to take you first to the grandmother's house, and to understand what sort of house it is, and what sort of garden, and to know what kind of old lady the grandmother is, and

what sort of person the little girl is; so that these things and people should be before you, just as if you could see them with your own eyes; and then she would have you to go with her to the school, and see all the people there, and understand what they are like, and how they live; this is what is called going with a writer wherever that writer wishes to take you; and when a person can thus travel with a book, he has many pleasures which people who can not read know nothing about, and instead of wanting a carriage and horses to take him a journey to a long distance, or a ship to carry him over the water to foreign lands, he has nothing to do but to go to his book-case, and take out a book, which will carry him to these distant places, and set him down in the midst of scenes and countries far away, as safely as if he were riding on the tapestry of the Prince in the fairy tale from his books also he may learn all that history can tell of what has been done in the world since the beginning of time, and all that can be known of the works of God in the natural world; and all this without going out of his own house, or even leaving his room, should he be in bad health, and with very little expence, and without troubling any body.

:

These are some of the advantages of learning to read; but these are the smallest, and of least value, and indeed hardly worth a thought in comparison of

those which we may get through reading the word of God. Have you ever thought, my young friend, of the goodness of our heavenly Father in sending the Lord the Spirit so to inspire the minds of the prophets and apostles, that they should be enabled to prepare for us a book which contains all things which are necessary for us to know? But as there are three sorts of readers of common books, so there are as many sorts of readers of the Bible: there is the first sort, to whom it is hard to make out the words; and there is the second sort, who only understand the natural sense of the holy book; and there is the third sort, who are taught by God the Spirit to understand many of those things in the word of God, which are hidden from other people.

If you, my friends, belong to the third kind of Bible readers, you will find that the books which men write are good, if they agree with the Bible, and are bad, if they do not agree with the Bible; that is, if any book upholds that which the word of God condemns, it is a bad book; but if it asserts that nothing is right but what pleases God, it is a good book. When I was a child there were no religious books for children but sermons; sermons are very good things, and grown up people like them very much; but the children in these days ought to be very much obliged to those kind good people who have provided so many

pleasant stories, to shew how the word and Spirit work in the hearts of children and young people, to compel them to bring forth the fruits of righteousness and true holiness.

And now, my young reader, having given you a touchstone wherewith to try whether my stories are dross, or agreeable to the nature of the pure gold of the Holy Scriptures, I shall say no more, but leave you to go on with my first story.

THE GARLAND.

THE RED MOROCCO SHOES.

WHEN my little reader understands the title of this story, she will perhaps be able to say, I once had a pair of red shoes, but I do not think that any body could write a story about them, though, I dare say, they were quite as pretty as those mentioned in this book. Well then, you shall read this story, and we can talk about your red shoes when we have done

with mine.

My name is Elizabeth, and I lived with my grandmamma when I was a very little girl; for my poor papa and mamma died before I can remember any thing.

My dear grandmamma was very kind to me, perhaps she indulged me too much; but as her eyes were not good, and she could not teach me herself, she sent me to school. Every morning her maid Sally took me at eight o'clock, and fetched me home again at five in the evening, for I slept at home. There were many children at that school, but I do not remember any of them with much pleasure excepting one. This was a little girl about my own age. I will tell you how it was when I saw her first; but, first, I must say that this little girl was called Lily, because she was so very fair.