The moon that walks in brightness, says,
"God is good "--and man endued
With power to speak his Maker's praise,
Should still repeat that "God is good."

ANONYMOUS.

THE AIR.

What is

It is the

We

WHAT is the air? It is thin invisible fluid all around us. But how do you know that it is all around us if you cannot see it? Because we can feel it. If you wet your finger, and then twirl it round and round, you will feel something cold: that is the air. Sometimes the air moves very fast, and then, though we cannot see it, we see what it does. it that blows the trees so much? wind. Wind is air moving fast. What is the use of the air? It has a great many uses. The chief use is to breathe. could not live without breathing. When we breathe, we draw in the air through our nostrils or mouth, and it goes into our lungs, and mixes with the blood. It is not all the air which mixes with the blood. Air is made up of two parts. One of them is mixed with the blood when we breathe, and the other comes back through the nose. If a man were shut up in a small room, in which the doors and windows fit so tight that no air could get in, by and by he would use up all the good part of the air, and then, if no more fresh air were let in, he would die.

When several people live in one room, and

the window is shut, does it not feel very close and unpleasant; quite different to the nice fresh air out of doors? What is the reason of this? Why they use up the air by breathing, and though some fresh air gets in by the sides of the door, or by the chimney, yet there is not enough, and a great deal of it is bad and not fit to breathe.

People ought always to let fresh air into their rooms, because it is very bad for the health to breathe bad air, and makes people weak and sickly. Those who work out of doors are generally most strong and healthy, because they have plenty of good air. Those who are much

in doors, should try to walk out every day, that they may breathe pure air, and also that they may get some exercise; for it is not good to sit still all day, and often makes people ill.

Beasts, and birds, and fishes, need air as much as men. If you were to shut up a bird, or a mouse, in a box which had no hole in it, it would soon die for want of air. If you filled the box with water, and put in a fish, and then shut the lid, it would die too; for fishes breathe air through the water.

When the air moves fast, it is very useful. The wind blows the sails of ships, and makes them go on. It also turns wind-mills to grind

corn.

WHAT is air?

Where is it?

Can you see it?

How do you know it is around you?

Is the air of any use to us?

When we draw in the air by our nostrils or mouths, where does it go to?

With what does it mix ?

Does all the air mix with the blood?
How many parts are there in air?

What would happen to you if you were shut up in a small room, where no air could reach you?

What is wind?

Of what use is it?

THE SEA.

IN the Bible we read, "the gathering together of the waters called He seas. Those children who live near the sea-side know that the sea is a very large water; so large that we cannot see the end of it. The rivers run into the sea. The water of the sea is salt. This is a very good thing; for, if it were not salt, so much water together would become bad in hot parts, or where there is not much wind.

A great number of fish live in the sea, and many poor people get their living by catching them. There are different ways of fishing. Sometimes nets are fixed on stakes near the shore, and when the water covers the nets the fish get in the nets are placed so that they cannot easily get out, and when the water is low the fisherman takes them. Other fish are caught by fishermen going out in boats with their nets, and they often stay out all night.

Have you ever read about fishermen in the New Testament? Many of the apostles were fishermen, and Jesus called them to come to him, that he might make them fishers of men. The meaning of this is, that instead of drawing

fish out of the sea, they were to draw men from their sins, by telling them of Jesus Christ, and of all that he has done to save sinners.

There are some other things we must notice about the sea. It is always moving. Twice every day it comes up high on the shore. This is called high water. And twice it rolls back, which is called low water. This is one of the wise means which God uses to keep the water of the sea pure.

Are there any other lessons to be learned from the sea? Oh yes. We may learn from it how great and glorious God is, who made the sea. How very large it is! It stretches out much further than we can see; and men may sail in a ship for many weeks, or even months, without coming to land. Truly, God is greater than we can think; and yet, though he is so great, he listens to the prayer of a sinful child, for the sake of Jesus Christ.

The waters of the sea, which no man can measure, are a sign of God's love, which has no end. His kindness to us is very wonderful. He blesses us every day with numbers of good things, and is never weary of doing us good.

And now I will remind you of one other lesson which the sea teaches us. It should make us remember that we are like sailors, who are going a long voyage over a stormy sea, and who wish to be at home. Our life in this world is like a voyage. The wickedness and the troubles of this world are like storms and tempests. Heaven is the harbour of peace, to which Jesus Christ alone can guide us.

WHAT did God call seas?

What is the sea?

What run into it?

What taste has the sea?

Of what use is the saltness of the sea?
What live in the sea?

How are fish caught?

Who were fishermen ?

What did Christ make them?

What were they to draw men from?
What is the sea always doing?
How often is it high water?

Why is the sea a sign of God's love?
What else should the sea teach us?
Who are like sailors on a long voyage?
What are like storms and tempests?,
Where is the home of God's children?

TEA.

I NEED not ask if you are fond of tea; nearly all children like it. Tea is a great comfort, too, to old people as well as young, and you ought to know something about it. Tea is the leaf of a plant, or shrub, which grows in a country called China, and some other places; it is as high as the currant bushes, which you have all seen growing in gardens. The tea-bush grows best on sloping banks of hills, facing the south, where it gets plenty of sun. The Chinese men, who plant the tea, dig holes in the ground, at equal distances, in rows; in each hole half a dozen seeds are thrown, which they water with great care, and keep clear of weeds.