may be known by the books which he reads. A good name should be prized above riches. Every person's duty should be performed faithfully. During the Revolution the Americans fought for independence. The eagle's nest is built among the crags of the mountains. By too great eagerness in the pursuit of our desires we frequently grasp at the shadow, and lose the substance. A house without books resembles a room without windows. Water-lilies bloomed along the borders of the lake. Time spares the chiseled beauty of stone and marble, while it makes sad havoc in plaster and stucco. General Braddock's death was caused, not by the Indian's tomahawk, but by a bullet sent by one of his own soldiers.

"The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,

The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea,
The ploughman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me."

PRONOUNS.

A Pronoun is a word used in place of a noun; as, Thomas deserves praise, for he has recited his lessons well.”

In this sentence the word he is used in place of the noun Thomas, and his in place of the noun Thomas's; he and his are, therefore, called pronouns,- --a word which means "for nouns.

A pronoun is used to avoid the unpleasant repetition of a noun.

The noun for which a pronoun is used, is called the antecedent of the pronoun, because it generally precedes, or goes before, the pronoun; and the latter is said to represent its antecedent.

PROPERTIES OF PRONOUNS.

As pronouns represent nouns, they have number, person, gender, and case, as nouns have. They have also declension.

The number, the person, and the gender of a pronoun are the same as those of the noun which it represents; but the case may be different.

CLASSES OF PRONOUNS.

Pronouns are divided into three classes; Personal, Relative, and Interrogative.

Personal Pronouns.

A Personal Pronoun is one which shows by its form the person of the noun which it represents.

Personal pronouns are Simple or Compound.

The Simple Personal Pronouns are I, thou, he, she, and it. and their variations in the singular and in the plural.

I is in the first person, and of the masculine or of the feminine gender.

Thou is in the second person, masculine or femine gender. He is in the third person, masculine gender: she is, in the third person, feminine gender: it is in the third person, neuter gender.

The Declension of the Simple Personal Pronouns.

Personal pronouns in the first and in the second person do not need distinct forms to indicate their gender; as the speaker and the person

or the object addressed are present or well known, the gender of the nouns representing them is apparent.

As persons or things mentioned are not necessarily present, different forms of pronouns are required to indicate their sex. Hence, in the third person, he is used to represent the masculine gender, she to represent the feminine, and it to represent the neuter.

Ye, formerly common to the nominative and the objective case in the plural number, is still retained in the nominative, though rarely used. In the possessive case, my, thy, her, our, your, their, are used when the noun denoting the thing possessed is mentioned, and mine, thine, hers, ours, yours, theirs, when it is omitted; as, "This is my work.”—“This work is mine."

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Mine and thine were formerly used before words beginning with a vowel sound; as, All thine iniquities shall be forgiven." These forms are still used in poetry; as, "Time writes no wrinkles on thine azure brow."

The apostrophe (') should never be used in writing the forms of pronouns in the possessive case; thus, "It is yours,' not your's; ours,

not our's.

In both numbers the idea of possession is made emphatic by using the adjective own in connection with the possessive forms; as, “You choose that course at your own risk."

In the singular number, second person, the plural forms you, your and yours, are commonly used, though but one individual is addressed; as, "John, have you studied your lesson?"

The form thou is used in prayers to God, in solemn language, and in poetry.

It is often used without representing any particular antecedent; as, “It is raining.”—“It is never right to steal." "It" is then used indefinitely, and may be called the Indefinite Personal Pronoun.

Compound Personal Pronouns.

Compound Personal Pronouns are formed by subjoining, in the singular, the noun self to the simple personal pronouns my, thy, him, her, and it; and, in the plural, the noun selves to our, your, and them.

The Compound Personal Pronouns are myself, thyself, himself, herself, and itself, and their plural forms ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.

Nom. ourselves, yourselves, themselves, themselves, themselves, Poss.

Obj. ourselves.

yourselves. themselves. themselves. themselves.

The compound personal pronouns have no form for the possessive case either in the singular or in the plural number.

The form yourself is commonly used when a single individual is addressed; as, "Give yourself no concern," for, "Give thyself no concern."

EXERCISE I.-Tell the number, the person, the gender, and the case, of the following pronouns;-His, themselves, I, its, your, mine, theirs, we, hers, us, you, myself, me, himself, my, herself, thine, them. EXERCISE II.-Parse the personal pronouns in the following sentence: -"As the boy seemed honest, I employed him."

MODELS.-I.-I (the speaker) employed.-"I" is a personal pronoun, "A Personal Pronoun is one, etc.";-in the singular number, first person, of the masc. or the fem. gender, because the noun (the name of the speaker, not mentioned) which it represents, is;in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the verb employed.

Him.-Employed him (boy).-"Him" is a personal pronoun, "A Personal Pronoun is one, etc.";—in the singular number, third person, of the masculine gender, because the noun boy which it represents, is;—in the objective case, because it is the object of the action expressed by the verb employed. Parse the pronouns in the following sentences :— You have done the mischief and I bear the blame. as thou lovest thyself. This glorious land is ours. jured himself in his attempt to injure his neighbor. its fertility; it produces two crops yearly. Keep thy heart with all dili

Love thy neighbor The slanderer only inThe soil is noted for

gence, for out of it are the issues of life. Man makes his own language; but he makes it as the bee makes her cell, as the bird her nest. My mother began to instruct me at an early age; as she had no other child, you may imagine how eager she was for my improvement. The boys failed to recite their lessons, but the girls had their task well prepared.

EXERCISE III.-Parse also the nouns in the preceding sentences.

Relative Pronouns.

A Relative Pronoun is one which relates directly to some preceding noun or pronoun and introduces a clause; as, Thomas, who came late, was not admitted."-"He who wins, may laugh."

Relative Pronouns have no separate forms to distinguish the different persons, as the personal pronouns have. The person is determined by the antecedent, with which the relative always agrees in number, person and gender.

The relative and its antecedent are not contained in the same part of a sentence. The clause contains the relative and is connected by it with the antecedent.

Relative pronouns are of two kinds; Simple and Compound.

Simple Relatives.

The Simple Relative Pronouns are who, which, what, and that.

The Declension of the Simple Relatives.