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STAGES OF SOCIETY.

308. Nations live in various stages of society, and their condition is found to depend materially on the progress they have made in know. edge, learning and refinement, and in their skill in the mechanic arts.

309. How may nations be divided according to their habits of life and state of improvement?

A. Into five classes, viz: savage, barbarous, half-civilized, civilized, and enlightened.

310. How do men live in the savage state?

A. By hunting, fishing, and on the spontaneous productions of the ground. They are generally clad in the skins of wild animals, and reside in miserable huts, or dens, and caves in the earth.

311. What is the general character of savage nations?

A. They are bloodthirsty and revengeful, often eat the flesh of the enemies they take in war, and treat their women as slaves.

312. What degree of knowl. edge do they pos

sess?

They possess little or no knowledge of

agriculture, or the mechanic arts, and are

ignorant of reading, writing, and a regular form of govern

ment.

313. What nations are examples of this class?

A. The nations of Australia, or New Holland, and New Guinea, most of the Indian tribes of North and South America, and the Kamtschatdales or people of Kamtschatka.

314. In what manner do barbarous nations live?

A. By agriculture and the pasturage of cattle, sheep, &c. 315. They understand a few of the most simple arts, and are ac quainted with reading and writing only to a very limited extent.

316. What nations are examples of this class?

A. The roving tribes of Tartary, Arabia, Central Africa, and the people of Abyssinia.

317. How are the half-civilized nations distinguished?

A. They understand agriculture and many of the arts tolerably well, have written languages, with some knowledge of learning and books.

318. They have also established laws and religion, some little foreign commerce, but are very jealous of strangers, and treat their women generally as slaves.

319. What nations may be considered as belonging to the halfcivilized class?

A. China, Japan, Burmah, Siam, Turkey, Persia, &c.

320. How are civilized nations distinguished?

A. The arts and sciences are well understood, and the inhabitants derive their subsistence principally from agricul ture, manufactures, and commerce.

321. What is the condition of the great body of the people in some civilized states?

A. They are very ignorant and superstitious, and there is likewise a vast difference between the condition of the upper and lower classes of society.

322. What countries rank among the civilized nations? A. Russia, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Mexico, &c.

323. What is the character of enlightened nations?

A. They are noted for the intelligence, enterprise, and industry of their inhabitants; among them also the arts and ciences are carried to a high state of perfection.

324. How are they otherwise noted?

A. Females are treated with politeness and respect, the principles of free government are well understood, and education and learning are more general than among other nations. 325. What nations belong to this class?

A. The United States, Great Britain, France, Switzerland, and some of the German States.

326. Enlightened and civilized nations are distinguished by the number and variety of their public buildings, and works of national utility; of these, colleges, hospitals, libraries, bridges, canals, rail-roads, &c., are amongst the most prominent.

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GOVERNMENT.

327. In every part of the earth it has been found necessary to have some system of government, or some power or authority, that shall protect the good and punish the wicked.

328. Without government, no one could be secure either in his person or property, and the world would be a scene of confusion and

bloodshed.

329. What is government?

A. It is the power or system by which the laws of a country are made and executed.

330. What is the object of government?

A. To afford protection to life and property, and ensure the happiness of the people.

331. What are the different kinds of government?

A. Three; Monarchy, Aristocracy, and Democracy.

332. What is Monarchy ?

A. It is that form of government in which an Emperor or King rules during his life. Emperors, Kings, &c. are alsc called Sovereigns.

333. What are the forms of Monarchy ?

A. Two; absolute and limited Monarchy.

334. What is an absolute Monarchy ?

A. Where the monarch governs according to his own will

335. What countries are ruled in this manner?

A. China, Turkey, Persia, and generally all the states of Asia and Africa.

336. Some countries are ruled by tyrants, who use their people with great cruelty, and in consequence are afraid to go abroad without being surrounded by soldiers.

337. The picture represents the Emperor of Morocco, who is one of the most despotic sovereigns in existence. When he appears in public, every one he meets must fall

with their faces to the earth, and there remain until the despot has passed.

338. What is a limited monarchy ?

A. Where the power of the monarch is limited by a con. stitution.

339. What states are ruled by a limited monarchy ?

A. Great Britain, France, Sweden, &c.

340. What is, an aristocracy?

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A. A government where the power is vested in a few per sons called nobles.

This does not at present exist as a distinct form of government, but frequently found combined with others.

341. How is aristocracy frequently found combined?

A. With monarchy and democracy.

342. This is the case in Great Britain and other limited monarchies. The king represents the monarchy, the nobles the aristocracy, and the representative body the democracy.

343. What is a Democracy?

A. It is a free government, in which the people choose their own rulers for stated periods of time.

344. What states have democratic governments?

A. The United States, Texas, Mexico, and all the Spanish American States.

345. What was the first kind of government?

A. The Patriarchal, in which every father or patriarch rules his own family or servants.

346. Does this kind of government still exist?

A. Yes; but it is found only amongst rude and barbarou tribes.

347. What tribes are governed in this manner?

A. The Bedouins of Arabia and the Great Desert, the Lap landers, and some others.

348. How did Patriarchs become chiefs?

A. In process of time families increased in numbers, and patriarchs became chiefs and rulers.

349. How did chiefs, &c. become monarchs?

A. Some chiefs being ambitious and powerful, conquered others, and became monarchs of empires, kingdoms, &c.

350. What titles do rulers assume in different parts of the world? A. In Asia, they are called Nabobs, Sultans, Shahs, RaJahs, Imams, Khans, &c.

351. What are they called in Europe?

A. Emperors, Kings, Princes, Dukes, Electors, &c.

352. What are they called in America?

A. In America the chief magistrate of the different repub lics takes the name of President.

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RELIGION.

353. All races of men, even the most savage, appear to believe in the existence of some invisible being possessed of power superior to man. The various methods in which this faith is manifested, form so many different modes of religion, and exhibit one of the most striking diversities by which nations are distinguished from each other.

354. How may the different forms of religion be divided? A. Into true and false.