THE READING OF LANGUAGE.

INSTRUCTION XXIX.

UNDERSTANDING AND READING LANGUAGE.

WORDS ARE THE MATERIALS OF LANGUAGE.

I HAVE something more to say to you, Wilmer, said Professor Cadmus, as his son drew up his chair the next evening. I have something more to say to you about language. I wish to talk to you about the materials of the letter form of language, and make you acquainted with them. Pictures are seldom used now. Symbols are even more rare. By letters, all educated people make known their thoughts in writing.

I am glad, father, to hear something about this. Language always appears an unknown thing when I look at it in books. I scarcely know how to begin to look at it, and understand it.

Do you know why, Wilmer? The first and the second time you looked upon a tree, it was equally unknown. By and by, you began to look at its parts and to think of them. As soon as you knew the trunk, branches, leaves and flow

ers, you knew the tree. It is so with language. Begin with its materials. These are words. As soon as you know them, you know language.

All the words, father? asked Wilmer. I do not think I will ever know them all.

Not all the words, my son, said Professor Cadmus. Only all the kinds of words. You do not think of all the branches, and see all the leaves, when you think of a tree and know it. That is so, father. I am only to think, then, of all the kinds of words, when I am trying to know my language. Just so, my son, said Professor Cadmus. You need not know every tree in the forest in order to know the forest. It is enough to know the kinds of trees. So it is with the words of your language. You need not know the seventy thousand words that now make up the English language, in order to know that language. It is enough to know part of them and the kinds of words.

WE KNOW LANGUAGE BY

KNOWING THE KINDS OF

WORDS.

We know language, said Professor Cadmus, by knowing the kinds of words. This can be made plain. Words, you know, stand for things. Now there are a great many things in the world: a great many in our houses: a great many in our stores and manufactories. There must be a great many words to stand for all these things. But they are all of one kind, names of things.

There are a great many qualities in the world. All those things have some qualities. They are large or small; hard or soft; good or bad; and so on without end. There must be a great many words to stand for all these qualities. But they are all of one kind. They are names of qualities.

There are a great many actions in the world. Every thing is at work. The fire burns, the dog barks, birds fly, rivers flow, and so on without end. There must be a great many words to stand for all these actions. But they are all of one kind. They are names of action.

There are a great many relations and connections in the world. Things are related to each other in various ways. There is nothing without its relations. The coal is in the grate; the water is in the well, and the clouds are above the earth. There must be a great many words to stand for these relations. But they are all of one kind. They are signs of relations.

This is very plain, father. I think I can now go to work to learn and read language. When I look at a word, I must try and know its meaning. I must also try and know what kind of a word it is.

That is the way, my son, said Professor Cadmus. You must see or feel the thing for which the word stands. You must also see or feel what it is. Is it a thing, or a quality, or an action, or a relation? Thus, when you see the word, green, you try and see the color for which it stands, and then think what kind of a thing it is. It is a quality, and green is the name of a quality. This is the way, my son, to look on language. In this way alone, you will be able to understand and read it correctly.

AN

INSTRUCTION XXX.

ON WRITING AND READING LANGUAGE.

INCIDENT CONNECTED WITH

WRITING.

Writing and reading language, said Professor Cadmus, as he drew up his chair to the table, are to receive some

notice to-night. They are among the wonders of human skill-things of beauty, of power, of vast utility. What would man and the world be without them?

They are great arts, said he. I will tell you something about them. Mr. Mariner went to the Tonga Islands, and was made a captive by the savages. He found the means of writing a letter. He gave it to a chief, to give to any captain who might touch at the islands.

Feenow, the king, heard of it. He sent for the letter, turned it over and over, and could make nothing of it. He handed it to Higgins, an Englishman in favor with Feenow, who read and translated it. The king was amazed. He sent for Mr. Mariner, and told him to write something. What shall I write? said Mariner. Write down me, said the king. He wrote, Feenow. The king then sent for another Englishman, who knew nothing about the matter, and told him to read it. He read aloud-FEENOW. The king was very much amazed. He snatched the paper out of his hand, and looked at it. "This is neither like myself, nor any body else! Where are my legs? How do you know it to be me?"

Wilmer smiled at the wonder of King Feenow. It was all plain to him. The letters, F-e-e-n-o-w, stood for the sounds: the word, Feenow, for the sound of the king's name when spoken. Mr. Mariner and the other Englishman knew all this.

WRITING AND READING.

Professor Cadmus looked at him with pleasure. He was pleased to see his son learning to think. He spoke. We learn from this story of Feenow, said he, what writing and reading are. Writing is making sound visible. Reading is