HOMES AND PEOPLE.
Turn to the relief map of North America. Pass your finger over the cold belt of the Dominion of Canada, of Greenland and of Alaska. This is the land of the Eskimos. Some Americans and Indians live in Alaska, a few people from Europe called Danes live in Greenland, and a few English and Indians live in the cold belt of Canada, but the country is the home of the Eskimos. You can read about them in Lesson XLV.
Look at the picture of the Eskimos on the opposite page. What sort of country do you think their land is? What sort of climate should you think it has? Put your finger on the dome-shaped house. It is made of snow and ice. It has no windows. Find its door. The Eskimos crawl through the door on their hands and knees. Why do the Eskimos build their houses of ice? Do trees grow near their home? Find the tents. The tents and the poles were brought there on sleds.
How many sleds can you see? How are they drawn over the snow? The Eskimo father is driving away on a sled. Find him. The Eskimo mother is sitting on the bundles. She is talking to her little boy. Eskimo women wear boots just as the men do. A big girl is sitting-on the sled, holding her baby brother. Another little girl is in the tent. You could not understand the language of the Eskimos, but many of them can speak a few words of English.
Find the picture of the Indians. These Indians are living in the United States. Some Indians live also in Canada and some in Mexico. What kind of houses do these Indians live in? How are they made? What are they called? Where is the Indian chief? Flow is he dressed? Can you find the squaws? How do they carry their babies? Where do they cook? Find the fire. What do you think they are cooking now? Would you like to live as the Indians do? Why? The Indians speak their own language, which you could not understand. But many of them can speak English, too.
Find the cowboy. He lives in Texas. How is he dressed? Why is he called a cowboy? Can you find his house? Do you see the cattle? Can you find the rope fastened to his saddle? Can you tell its name and its use?
Find the farmhouse in the United States. This house is in Pennsylvania. The picture is made from a photograph of it. There are many farmhouses like it in the United States. Who do you think the girl is? Where do you think the men are? What do the people that live on farms do to make money? What do you think grows on this farm? Did you ever see a farm? What grew on it?
Find the city home in the United States. This house is in New Orleans. The picture is made from a photograph of it. You will find houses very much like this in every large city in the United Stales. On page 88 find Boston, New York, Washington, New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago, and San Francisco. On the relief map point out where each city is built. Why are there no cities in the cold belt of Canada? How do you go from one city to another? What do the people in cities do to make money?
What language do we speak in the United States? The people who live in the United States are called Americans. Some Americans have come here from other countries. Do you know any such Americans?
Turn back to the map of North America on page 88. Pass your finger north of the St. Lawrence river; go on north of Lake Superior, and westward to the Pacific ocean. This is the cool belt of the Dominion of Canada. The people that live here are chiefly English or French. They live on rich farms or in large cities, very much as we do in the United States.
On the relief map find the four islands that are called the West Indies. Put your finger on each island and tell its name. On which island is the home in the picture on the opposite page? What is this house built of? It is the home of a coffee planter. His farm lies behind his house. Is it cold or warm in Porto Rico? Porto Rico once belonged to Spain. What language did the people that lived there then speak? To whom does Porto Rico now belong? Turn to Lesson XLVI. and read about the West Indies. Do the gentlemen wear white suits where you live? Are white linen suits cool or warm? Why are they worn in Porto Rico? Turn to page 79 and look at the gentleman and the children in the picture.
Find the Mexican. Where does he live? Find Mexico on the relief map. Is it hot or cold in Mexico? How is it up on the mountains? What sort of saddle has the Mexican? Can you see his blanket? Can you see the silver trimmings on his clothes, on his hat, and on his horse's bridle? Can you find the gate and the house where he lives? Notice the trees growing near. What sort of trees are they? (See Lesson XIII.) Turn to Lesson XLVI. and read about Mexico. What is the Mexican farm called in the picture on page 77? The Spanish language is spoken in Mexico.
