It is believed that in the large field of Nature and Art, there are sufficient materials for descriptions and stories without launching into the field of Fiction and Falsehood, to find subjects which will be interesting to children.
To remove difficulties in the reading of these Stories as far as possible, and thereby render them more interesting, the language used in the descriptions is limited to words of ONE, TWO, and THREE SYLLABLES.
New York, March 1, 1836.
ALWAYS SPEAK THE TRUTH.
George Washington, late President of the United States, always spoke the truth. During his whole life he had great regard for truth, and was never known, under any circumstance, to make a false statement.
When he was about six years old, a friend of his gave him a hatchet. George thought it a very fine present and was constantly going about, chopping every thing that came in his way.
One very pleasant morning, he walked out into his father's garden with his hatchet in his hand. It was a beautiful garden, in which were flowers, of various kinds, such as pinks, lilies, lilachs, roses, &c. which greeted the eye at every step. George was delighted with the prospect around him.
In the east end of the garden was a quantity of pea-bushes which had been placed there by his excellent mother. These bushes were dry and dead so that the hacking of George's hatchet on them did not do much hurt, except to weaken their strength and make them less able to bear the weight of peas that might grow on the pea-vines.
But George had the misfortune thoughtlessly to try the edge of his hatchet on the body of a beautiful young English cherry-tree which he injured so much that it scarcely if ever got over it.