are noble animals indeed. Their lives are devoted to man,
though their devotion is not always appreciated as it should be.

Lord Byron writes:

"In life the firmest friend,
The first to welcome, foremost to defend;
Whose honest heart is still his master's own;
Who labors, fights, lives, breathes for him alone.
The rich man's guardian, and the poor man's friend."

No wonder Sir Edwin Landseer loved to paint these noble animals. Their
intelligent look and, better still, their brave and noble deeds render
them almost human, lacking only the power of speech. It seems sometimes
as if they really do talk, and the owners of such dogs declare that
their actions prove that the dogs understand every word said to them.

Sir Edwin Landseer has painted another picture of a Newfoundland dog,
called "A Member of the Royal Humane Society," which looks so much
like this one that it might be the same dog.

=Questions to help the pupil understand the picture.= What kind of a
dog is this? What has he done? What makes you think he and the little
girl have been in the water? that there has not been a shipwreck? Why
do you think the child had not been wading? How is she dressed? How
do you suppose she happened to fall into the water? How could this dog
save her? Where do you suppose the child's playmates and nurse are?
Where is the dog lying? Why does he not take the child to them? What
makes you think he is tired? How are Newfoundland dogs sometimes
trained in France? Tell about the washwoman and her baby. How was the
baby rescued? Why could the mother not take the child? What did the
boy do? What happened then? When were they released? How do
Newfoundland dogs sometimes punish small dogs that annoy them? Why do
they not drown? Tell about the two boatmen and their wager. Tell about
the dog and the lady's parasol. What do these stories tell us about
Newfoundland dogs? What other kind of dogs save many lives? What did
the Newfoundland do at the dog pound? How do they sometimes resent
abuse? Tell about the boatman and his dog. Upon what island are they
used to carry burdens? Tell a story showing that duty comes first with
these dogs. What other picture of this dog has Sir Edwin Landseer
painted? Why do you think he was especially fond of Newfoundland dogs?

=To the Teacher:= Short stories of the bravery and faithfulness of
dogs may take the place of other talks on kindness to animals.

SUBJECTS FOR COMPOSITIONS