gh to begin. It is a very
important science. It will teach you how to read and write the English
language correctly. You cannot write a good letter even without some
knowledge of this study. Those of you who are eleven or twelve years of
age ought to commence it at once. Now, those of you who would like to
join such a class may stop after the school is dismissed, and we will
make the arrangements."

Three or four only remained--others passed out, Nat and Charlie among
them. They had never studied grammar, and the teacher really expected
they would remain. Their scholarship was so good that he inferred they
would desire to unite with such a class, but he was mistaken.

"Shall you join the grammar class, Nat?" inquired Charlie, on their way
to the pond.

"No; I think that other studies will be of more use to me. Grammar is a
good branch for rich men's sons, who can go to school as long as they
want to; but I am not a rich man's son, and I never expect to do any
thing that will require a knowledge of grammar."

"That is my idea exactly," continued Charlie. "If I knew I should ever
go into a store, or be a town officer, I should want to study it."

"According to the teacher's ideas, you will need it if you are nothing
more than a wood-sawyer's clerk," said John.

"I didn't quite believe all the teacher said about writing letters,"
added Nat. "I have heard father say that grammar was not studied at all
when _he_ went to school, and that it has been introduced into school
quite recently. Now I would like to know if people did not understand
how to write letters in those days. Couldn't Washington and Jefferson,
and other great men, write letters correctly?"

"I never thought of that," said Charlie. "I would ask the teacher, if I
were in your place, to-morrow."

"For one," said John, "I should be willing to run my risk, if I could
get rid of studying it. I can't make much out of it."

"I have no doubt," added Nat, "that it is a good study for those who
will want to use it; but _I_(?) shall never want to use it, and it is
better for me to study something else. Arithmetic is useful to
everybody, if they never buy any thing but meat out of a butcher's
cart."

By this time they had reached the pond, so that the subject of grammar
was dropped, and skating taken up.

"I suppose you will bear off the palm as usual, Nat," said Frank, while
he was putting on his skates.

"I don't know about that," replied Nat; "if a fello