Reading Made Easy for Foreigners - Third Reader | Page 5

image. Its size
is really enormous. The height of the figure alone is fully one hundred
and fifty feet. Forty persons can find standing room within the mighty
head, which is fifteen feet in diameter. A six-foot man, standing upon
the lower lip, can hardly reach the eyes of the colossal head. The index
finger is eight feet long, and the nose is over three feet long. Yet the
proportion of all the parts of the figure is so well preserved that the
whole statue is in perfect harmony.
The materials of which the statue is composed are copper and steel. The
immense torch which is held in the hand of the giantess is three
hundred feet above tidewater.
The Colossus of Rhodes was a pigmy compared with this huge wonder.

LESSON VIII
INDEPENDENCE
Scholars, who are enjoying the priceless blessings of that liberty which

cost our forefathers so much treasure and so much blood,--have you
read the Declaration of Independence? If you have not, read it; if you
have, read it again; study it; make its noble sentiments your own, and
do not fail to grave deep in your memories these immortal lines:--
"We hold these truths to be self-evident; That all men are created equal;
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights;
that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to
secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed; that, whenever any
form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of
the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government,
laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in
such forms, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and
happiness."

SELECTION III
BE TRUE
Thou must be true thyself, If thou the truth wouldst teach; Thy soul
must overflow, if thou Another's soul would'st reach; It needs the
overflow of hearts To give the lips full speech.
Think truly, and thy thoughts Shall the world's famine feed; Speak truly,
and each word of thine Shall be a fruitful seed; Live truly, and thy life
shall be A great and noble creed.
Anonymous.

LESSON IX
NEWFOUNDLAND
Newfoundland is an island about the size of New York State. It belongs
to England. The cod fisheries there are very extensive.
The people of Newfoundland are strong, healthy and industrious. They
are law-abiding, and serious; crime is very rare among them. Their
kindness and hospitality to strangers who visit the country are
proverbial. Kindness to the poor and unfortunate is a marked feature in
the character of the people. When business is poor they are ready to
share their last morsel with those in distress.

The fishermen are the working classes of the country. During the height
of the fishery season, and when fish are abundant, their labors are
severe; but during winter they are for the most part in a condition of
enforced idleness. Much of the work of curing the fish is done by
women and girls, and their labors are often very heavy. When the
fisheries are over, there are boats, nets, etc., to repair, stages to look
after, and fuel to be cut in the woods and hauled over the snow.
If the fishery has been successful, then the fisherman has a balance
coming to him after paying for his summer supplies, and is enabled to
lay in a stock of provisions for the winter.
Winter is the season for enjoyment among the fishermen. This season
for fireside enjoyments, home-born pleasures, is welcome. They have
their simple social enjoyments of various kinds. Dancing is a favorite
winter amusement among the fishermen and their families. Weddings
are celebrated with great festivity.
Newfoundland is often regarded as the very paradise of sportsmen. Its
countless lakes and ponds abound with trout of the finest description,
and these bodies of water are the abodes of the wild goose, the wild
duck, and other fresh-water fowl.
The pine forests are the home of numerous wild animals. The fox, the
bear and the caribou furnish the highest prizes for the hunter.

SELECTION IV
BRING BACK MY FLOWERS
A child sat by a limpid stream, And gazed upon the tide beneath; Upon
her cheek was joy's bright beam, And on her brow a blooming wreath.
Her lap was filled with fragrant flowers, And, as the clear brook
babbled by, She scattered down the rosy showers, With many a wild
and joyous cry, And laughed to see the mingling tide Upon its onward
progress glide.
And time flew on, and flower by flower Was cast upon the sunny
stream; But when the shades of eve did lower, She woke up from