CONTAINING A SELECTION OF LESSONS, EXCLUSIVELY FROM AMERICAN AUTHORS. By SALEM TOWN, A. M., AUTHOR OF TOWN'S SPELLER AND DEFINER; ANALYSIS OF COMPOUND AND SCHOOL READERS. NEW YORK: 152 Pearl-street, corner of Wall-st. ENTERED according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1845, by SALEM TOWN, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of New-York. PREFACE. THE selections in the First and Second Readers in this Series, are taken both from British and American authors. Those contained in this, Third Reader, are exclusively American productions. It was the design of the compiler to give as great a variety of specimens, both of style and language, from some of the best writers of our own country, as the limits of the work would allow. He has moreover endeavored to make such selections and abstracts as contain valuable instruction, both as to matters of fact, correct sentiment, and commonly received opinions. Nothing more effectually secures interest in any class of readers than the perusal of such articles as abound with rich thought clearly and forcibly expressed. The mere verbiage of a sentence may flow smoothly and fall in harmonious accents on the ear, but aside from that living imagery of ideas which feasts the intellect, such productions afford the reader little pleasure and less profit. Reading lessons for the use of schools should be selected with special reference to style, sentiment, and instruction. The style should be chaste, elevated, and attractive; the sentiment correct and the instruction substantially beneficial. The scholar requires no more time to read a well written article, abounding with such ideas as are involved in the topic, than an equal amount of language comparatively barren. |