One Hundred Original Tales for Children; A Class Book to Teach the Art of Reading (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1846. Excerpt: ... All the clever men that ever lived in the world were once little boys, and did not know anything at all. They were little babies, and could neither walk nor speak. Indeed they were such little fellows that they did not know their letters, even the three first letters, A, B, C. I should think it a great wonder, when I see a very clever man, to know he is so very clever as he is, if I did not know how it was done. But it is very easy to be clever in any thing, if a boy or a girl will set the right way about it. And it is an easy thing to be a dunce and a stupid boy or girl, if they set about it the wrong way. It is easy to learn the three first letters, and the next day to learn three letters more, that will be six; and the next, three letters more, that will be nine. And in this way all the letters will soon be learnt. Then that is capital. The next thing to that, is to get a book full of nice stories or tales, and begin to read them, one or two every day, till you have read them all. If there be any word that you cannot speak, the best way is to ask some one to teach you how to speak those words, as you ought to speak them, and always do your best. Then ask your father and mother at breakfast time, or at any other time, to hear you read some stories from your book. Then they will be delighted with you, because you can read so well. But you must do something more than all this, you must spell all the words that you read, or be able to spell them, when you are asked; and to explain them when you are asked. All this is what Captain Cook did when he was quite a little boy. But there is another thing that your friends must take care and let you do, as well as your reading and spelling, and that is, to play well at any proper play; you must not be like some chi...