When George Washington became President of the United States, he gave up nearly the whole of his time to business. He got through a great amount of work, and yet was never in a hurry. People used to wonder how it was that he could attend to so many things. The secret of it all was his punctuality.

When he fixed a time for any business, he would never wait a minute beyond the time appointed. If he promised to meet the Congress at noon, he would be at the door before the clock had finished striking twelve. In his own family he was just as punctual. When at home, he would dine at four o'clock each day, and dinner was served exactly at that hour. If he had invited any persons to dine with him, the dinner was not kept waiting a moment after four o'clock, whether they had arrived or not. Sometimes a friend would come just as dinner was over. Washington never made any apology, but quietly said, 'We are punctual here;' so the friend would get no dinner.

One day he wanted to buy a pair of horses. A stranger called at his office to say that he had the finest horses in the country to sell. 'Very well,' said Washington, 'if I like them after I have seen them, I will buy them from you.' The stranger offered to bring the horses to his house at any time he liked to name. Washington said he would be ready to see them at five o'clock the next morning.

Just as the clock was striking five next morning, Washington came out of his house into the grounds to see the horses. The horses were not to be seen; the stranger was late. At a quarter past five, however, the man drove into

the yard, but Washington was gone. His chance of selling the horses was gone too; neither could Washington afterwards be induced to deal with the man who was a quarter of an hour late.

The same order and punctuality attended this great man through the whole of his life. Whether at home or abroad, on the battle-field or in the Senate, with his friends or among strangers, he was always in his place at the appointed time, ready to perform the duty that lay before him. His friends and servants, who were about him daily, tell us that by his punctuality he was able to do nearly as much as four ordinary men, without being tired or worn out.

George Washington is not the only person who has reaped advantage from being punctual. It would be well if all the boys and girls of this school would strive to imitate him in this particular.

Some time ago a boy, who came very often late to school, was shamed out of his evil practice. One morning as he came into school half an hour late, his master said slyly,

'The cow has a tail, but it's always behind;

How much like the tail poor Joseph we find!'

The boys set up a loud laugh, and called Joseph the 'Cow's tail'; but it cured him, he was never late again. Let there be no 'cows' tails' in this school, and, depend upon it, teachers and scholars will be all the happier.

7. A BOAT SONG.

bark, a small ship
bounds, leaps over the

land's-man, one who lives on land

per-ils, exposes to danger quail, be afraid

si-roc, a storm of hot wind

surge, a great rolling swell of water

ves-sel

The morn shines bright,
And the bark bounds light

As the stag bounds o'er the lea;
We love the strife

Of the sailor's life,

And we love our dark blue sea.

Now high, now low,

To the depths we go,

Now rise on the surge again;

We make a track

On the Ocean's back,
And play with his hoary mane.

Fearless we face

waves

The storm in its chase,
When the dark clouds fly before it;
And meet the shock
Of the fierce siroc,

Though death breathes hotly o'er it.
The landsman may quail
At the shout of the gale,
Which perils the sailor's joy;
But wild as the waves
Which his vessel braves,

Is the lot of the sailor boy.

SIR E. B. LYTTON.

By permission of Messrs. Routledge.

dis-cov-er-ing, first finding re-pre-sents, shows

Span-i-ards, natives. of

un-furled, unfolded

out

fleet, a number of ships

Spain

mail, armour

Our

There are but few people now living who have not either relatives or friends in America. fastest ships could take us over to the nearest part of it in a little more than a week. Yet, four hundred years ago, the country was not known to the people dwelling in Europe. The credit of discovering America is generally given to Christopher Columbus. This picture represents his first landing on one of the islands off the coast of North America.

For five weeks Columbus with his fleet had been sailing through unknown seas. His three small ships, called the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina, were manned by one hundred and twenty men. It would be too long a story to tell of all the dangers they passed through during those five weeks, of their hopes and fears, and of the difficult task Columbus had in dealing with his men. For the greater part of the voyage they saw no land, nor had they spoken to a single vessel.

On Friday, the 12th of October 1492, land was seen ahead, and their hearts were filled with