bent upon it."

"I," said the tongue, "may surely speak,
Since I his inmate am;
And for his vices while you seek,
His virtues I'll proclaim.

"You say the mouth embezzles all,
The fruit of your exertion;
But I on this assembly call
To prove the base assertion.

"The food which you with labor gain,
He too with labor chews;
Nor does he long the food retain,
But gives it for your use.

"But he his office has resign'd
To whom you may prefer;
He begs you therefore now to find
Some other treasurer."

"Well, be it so," they all replied;
"His wish shall be obeyed;
We think the hands may now be tried
As treasurers in his stead."

The hands with joy to this agreed,
And all to them was paid;
But they the treasure kept indeed,
And no disbursements made.

Once more the clam'rous members met,
A lean and hungry throng;
When all allowed, from head to feet,
That what they'd done was wrong.

To take his office once again,
The mouth they all implored;
Who soon accepted it, and then
Health was again restored.

MORAL.

This tale for state affairs is meant,
Which we need not discuss;
At present we will be content,
To find a moral thus:

The mouth has claims of large amount,
From arms, legs, feet, and hands;
But let them not, on that account,
Pay _more_ than it demands.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE.

Said a hare to a tortoise, "Good sir, what a while
You have been only crossing the way;
Why I really believe that to go half a mile,
You must travel two nights and a day."

"I am very contented," the creature replied,
"Though I walk but a tortoise's pace,
But if you think proper the point to decide,
We will run half a mile in a race."

"Very good," said the hare; said the tortoise, "Proceed,
And the fox shall decide who has won,"
Then the hare started off with incredible speed;
But the tortoise walk'd leisurely on.

"Come tortoise, friend tortoise, walk on," said the hare,
"Well, I shall stay here for my dinner;
Why, 'twill take you a month, at that rate, to get there,
Then how can you hope to be winner?"

But the tortoise could hear not a word that she said
For he was far distant behind;
So the hare felt secured while at leisure she fed,
And took a sound nap when she dined.

So at last this slow walker came up with the hare,
And there fast asleep did he spy her;
And he cunningly crept with such c