an carrying home a basket full of kittens. This was the most
like _chittens_ of anything he could find; and not being able to get
what his master had written for, he thought his master meant kittens. He
therefore bought the basket of kittens, and carried them home for his
master's dinner.

LESSON XIV.

_Demos'thenes._--ORIGINAL.

1. There lived, a great many years ago, in Athens, one of the most
renowned cities of Greece, a very celebrated orator, whose name was
Demos'thenes.

2. But you will not understand what an _orator_ is, until you are told
that it means a person who speaks before a large number of people, to
persuade them what to do, or to give them information, or good advice.

3. Thus, when a minister or clergyman preaches a good sermon, and speaks
in such a manner as to please all who hear him, convincing them of their
duty, and persuading them to do it, he is called an orator.

4. Demos'thenes was not a clergyman, or minister, but he spoke before
large assemblies of the Athenians, and they were very much delighted to
hear him. Whenever it was known that he intended to speak in public,
every one was anxious to hear him.

5. Now, I wish to show you how hard he worked, and what he did, to
become a great orator.

6. In the first place, then, he had a very weak voice, and could not
speak loud enough to be heard by a large assembly; and, besides this, he
was very much troubled with shortness of breath. These were very great
discouragements, and had he not labored very hard to overcome them, he
never could have succeeded.

7. To cure his shortness of breath, he used to go up and down stairs
very frequently, and run up steep and uneven places; and to strengthen
his voice, he often went to the sea-shore, when the waves were very
noisy and violent, and talked aloud to them, so that he could hear his
own voice above the noise of the waters.

[Illustration]

8. He could not speak the letter _r_ plainly, but pronounced it very
much as you have heard some little boys and girls pronounce it, when
they say a _wed wose_ for a _red rose_, or a _wipe cherwy_ instead of a
_ripe cherry_.

9. Besides this, he stammered, or stuttered, very badly. To cure himself
of these faults in speaking, he used to fill his mouth full of pebbles,
and try to speak with them in his mouth.

10. He had a habit, also, of making up faces, when he was trying to
speak hard words; and, in order to cure himself of this, he used to