1.It is told of Frederick the Great,King of Prussia,that,as he was seated one day in his private room,a written petition1 was brought thim with the request that it should be immediately read. The King had just returned from hunting,and the glare of the sun,or some other cause,had sdazzled his eyes that he found it difficult tmake out a single word of the writing.
2.His private secretary happened tbe absent;and the soldier whbrought the petition could not read. There was a page,or favorite boy servant,waiting in the hall,and upon him the King called. The page was a son of one of the noblemen of the court,but proved tbe a very poor reader.
3.In the first place,he did not articulate2distinctly. He huddledhis words together in the utterance,as if they were syllables of one long word,which he must get through with as speedily as possible. His pronunciation was bad,and he did not modulate3 his voice sas tbring out the meaning of what he read. Every sentence was uttered with a dismal monotony4 of voice,as if it did not differ in any respect from that which preceded it.
4."Stop!" said the King,impatiently. "Is it an auctioneer’s list of goods tbe sold that you are hurrying over? Send your companion tme." Another page whstood at the door now entered,and to1Petition,a formal request.
2Articulate,tutter the elementary sounds. 3 Modulate,tvary or inflect.
4Monotony,lack of variety.
Him the King gave the petition. The second page began by hemming and clearing his throat in such an affected1 manner that the King jokingly asked him whether he had not slept in the public garden,with the gate open,the night before.
5.The second page had a good share of self-conceit,however,1Affected,unnatural and silly.
and swas not greatly confused by the King‘s jest. He determined that he would avoid the mistake which his comrade had made. She commenced reading the petition slowly and with great formality,emphasizing every word,and prolonging the articulation of every syllable. But his manner was stedious that the King cried out,"Stop! are you reciting a lesson in the elementary sounds? Out of the room! But no: stay! Send me that little girl whis sitting there by the fountain."
6.The girl thus pointed out by the King was a daughter of one of the laborers employed by the royal gardener;and she had come thelp her father weed the flower beds. It chanced that,like many of the poor people in Prussia,she had received a good education. She was somewhat alarmed when she found herself in the King’s presence,but took courage when the King told her that he only wanted her tread for him,as his eyes were weak.
7.Now,Ernestine （for this was the name of the little girl） was fond of reading aloud,and often many of the neighbors would assemble at her father‘s house thear her;those whcould not read themselves would come ther,also,with their letters from distant friends or children,and she thus formed the habit of reading various sorts of handwriting promptly and well.
8.The King gave her the petition,and she rapidly glanced through the opening lines tget some idea of what it was about. As she read,her eyes began tglisten,and her breast theave. "What is the matter?" asked the King;"don’t you know how tread?" "Oh,yes! sire," she replied,addressing him with the title usually applied thim: "I will now read it,if you please."
9.The twpages wore about tleave the room. "Remain," said the King. The little girl began tread the petition. It was from a poor widow,whose only son had been drafted1 tserve in the army,although his health was delicate and his pursuits had been such as tunfit him for military life. His father had been killed in battleand the son had a strong desire tbecome a portrait painter.
10.The writer told her story in a simple,concise1 manner,that carried tthe heart a belief of its truth;and Ernestine read it with smuch feeling,and with an articulation sjust,in tones spure and distinct,that when she had finished,the King,intwhose eyes the tears had started,exclaimed,"Oh! now I understand what it is all about;but I might never have known,certainly I never should have felt,its meaning had I trusted tthese young gentlemen,whom I now dismiss from my service for one year,advising them toccupy their time in learning tread."
11."As for you,my young lady," continued the King,"I know you will ask nbetter reward for your trouble than the pleasure of carrying tthis poor widow my order for her son‘s immediate discharge2. Let me see whether you can write as well as you can read. Take this pen,and write as I dictate3." He then dictated an order,which Ernestine wrote,and he signed. Calling one of his guards,he bade him gwith the girl and see that the order was obeyed.
12.How much happiness was Ernestine the means of bestowing through her good elocution,united tthe happy circumstance that brought it tthe knowledge of the King! First,there were her poor neighbors,twhom she could give instruction and entertainment. Then,there was the poor widow whsent the petition,and whnot only regained her son,but received through Ernestine an order for him tpaint the King’s likeness;sthat the poor boy soon rose tgreat distinction4,and had more orders than he could attend to. Words could not express5 his gratitude,and that of his mother,tthe little girl.
13.And Ernestine had,moreover,the satisfaction of aiding1 Concise,brief and full of meaning. 2Discharge,release.3 Dictate,tutter sthat another may write it down. 4 Distinction,honorable and notable position.5 Express,tmake known the feelings of.her father trise in the world,sthat he became the King‘s chief gardener. The King did not forget her,but had her well educated at his own expense. As for the twpages,she was indirectly the means of doing them good,also;for,ashamed of their bad reading,they commenced studying in earnest,till they overcame the faults that had offended the King. Both finally rose tdistinction,one as a lawyer,and the other as a statesman;and they owed their advancement in life chiefly ttheir good elocution.
NOTES.-Frederick II. of Prussia （b. 1712,d. 1788）,or Frederick the Great,as he was called,was one of the greatest of German rulers. He was distinguished for his military exploits,for his wise and just government,and for his literary attainments. He wrote many able works in the French language. Many pleasant anecdotes are told of this king,of which the one given in the lesson is a fair sample.