The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Moral Alphabet, by Hilaire Belloc

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at https://www.gutenberg.org/license. If you are not located in the United States, you’ll have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: A Moral Alphabet

Author: Hilaire Belloc

Release Date: July 3, 2012 [EBook #40134]

Language: English

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ***

E-text prepared by Emmy, Charlene Taylor,

and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team

(http://www.pgdp.net)

from page images generously made available by

Internet Archive

(http://archive.org)

Note:

Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See http://archive.org/details/cu31924013585561

A MORAL ALPHABET.

BY THE SAME AUTHORS.

—————

MORE BEASTS (FOR WORSE CHILDREN).

Demy 4to. 3s. 6d.

—————

THE MODERN TRAVELLER.

Fcap. 4to. 3s. 6d.

—————

EDWARD ARNOLD, LONDON.

A

MORAL ALPHABET

BY

H. B.

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY

B. B.

Authors of "The Bad Child's Book of Beasts"

"More Beasts for Worse Children"

"The Modern Traveller" etc.

LONDON

EDWARD ARNOLD

37 BEDFORD STREET

1899

DEDICATION.

——

TO THE GENTLEMAN

ON PAGE 49.

A

stands for

Archibald who told no lies,

And got this lovely volume for a prize.

The Upper School had combed and oiled their hair,

And all the Parents of the Boys were there.

In words that ring like thunder through the Hall,

Draw tears from some and loud applause from all,—

The Pedagogue, with Pardonable Joy,

Bestows the Gift upon the Radiant Boy:—

"Accept the Noblest Work produced as yet"

(Says he) "upon the English Alphabet;

"Next term I shall examine you, to find

"If you have read it thoroughly. So mind!"

And while the Boys and Parents cheered so loud,

That out of doors

a large and anxious crowd

Had gathered and was blocking up the street,

The admirable child resumed his seat.

MORAL.

Learn from this justly irritating Youth,

To brush your Hair and Teeth and tell the Truth.

B stands for Bear.

When Bears are seen

Approaching in the distance,

Make up your mind at once between

Retreat and Armed Resistance.

A Gentleman remained to fight—

With what result for him?

The Bear, with ill-concealed delight,

Devoured him, Limb by Limb.

Another Person turned and ran;

He ran extremely hard:

The Bear was faster than the Man,

And beat him by a yard.

MORAL.

Decisive action in the hour of need

Denotes the Hero, but does not succeed.

C stands for Cobra; when the Cobra

bites

An Indian Judge, the Judge spends restless nights.

MORAL.

This creature, though disgusting and appalling,

Conveys no kind of Moral worth recalling.

D

The Dreadful

Dinotherium he

Will have to do his best for D.

The early world observed with awe

His back, indented like a saw.

His look was gay, his voice was strong;

His tail was neither short nor long;

His trunk, or elongated nose,

Was not so large as some suppose;

His teeth, as all the world allows,

Were graminivorous, like a cow's.

He therefore should have wished to pass

Long peaceful nights upon the Grass,

But being mad the brute preferred

To roost in branches, like a bird.[A]

A creature heavier than a whale,

You see at once, could hardly fail

To suffer badly when he slid

And tumbled

(as he always did).

His fossil, therefore, comes to light

All broken up: and serve him right.

MORAL.

If you were born to walk the ground,

Remain there; do not fool around.

[A]

We have good reason to suppose

He did so, from his claw-like toes.

E

stands for

Egg.

MORAL.

The Moral of this verse

Is applicable to the Young. Be terse.

F

for a

Family taking a walk

In Arcadia Terrace, no doubt:

The parents indulge in intelligent talk,

While the children they gambol about.

At a quarter-past six they return to their tea,

Of a kind that would hardly be tempting to me,

Though my appetite passes belief.

There is Jam, Ginger Beer, Buttered Toast, Marmalade,

With a Cold Leg of Mutton and Warm Lemonade,

And a large Pigeon Pie very skilfully made

To consist almost wholly of Beef.

MORAL.

A Respectable Family taking the air

Is a subject on which I could dwell;

It contains all the morals that ever there were,

And it sets an example as well.

G

stands for Gnu, whose weapons of Defence

Are long, sharp, curling Horns, and Common-sense.

To these he adds a Name so short and strong,

That even Hardy Boers pronounce it wrong.

How often on a bright Autumnal day

The Pious people of Pretoria say,

"Come, let us hunt the——" Then no more is heard

But Sounds of Strong Men struggling with a word.

Meanwhile, the distant Gnu with grateful eyes

Observes his opportunity, and flies.

MORAL.

Child, if you have a rummy kind of name,

Remember to be thankful for the same.

H   was a

Horseman who rode to the meet,

And talked of the Pads of the fox as his "feet"—

An error which furnished subscribers with grounds

For refusing to make him a Master of Hounds.

He gave way thereupon to so fearful a rage,

That he sold up his Stable and went on the Stage,

And had all the success that a man could desire

In creating the Part of

"The Old English Squire."

MORAL.

In the Learned Professions, a person should know

The advantage of having two strings to his bow.

I

the Poor Indian, justly called "The Poor,"

He has to eat his Dinner off the floor.

MORAL.

The Moral these delightful lines afford

Is: "Living cheaply is its own reward."

J

stands for James, who thought it immaterial

To pay his taxes, Local or Imperial.

In vain the Mother wept, the Wife implored,

James only yawned as though a trifle bored.

The Tax Collector called again, but he

Was met with Persiflage and Repartee.

When James was hauled before the learned Judge,

Who lectured him, he loudly whispered, "Fudge!"

The Judge was startled from his usual calm,

He

struck the desk before him with his palm,

And roared in tones to make the boldest quail,

"J stands for James, IT ALSO STANDS FOR JAIL."

And therefore, on a dark and dreadful day,

Policemen came and took him all away.

MORAL.

The fate of James is typical, and shows

How little mercy people can expect

Who will not pay their taxes; (saving those

To which they conscientiously object.)

K

for the Klondyke, a Country of Gold,

Where the winters are often excessively cold;

Where the lawn every morning is covered with rime,

And skating continues for years at a time.

Do you think that a Climate can conquer the grit

Of the Sons of the West? Not a bit! Not a bit!

When the weather looks nippy, the bold Pioneers

Put on two pairs of Stockings and cover their ears,

And roam through the drear Hyperborean dales

With a vast apparatus of Buckets and Pails;

Or wander through wild Hyperborean glades

With Hoes, Hammers, Pickaxes, Matlocks and Spades.

There are some who give rise to exuberant mirth

By turning up nothing but bushels of earth,

While those who have little cause excellent fun

By attempting to pilfer from those who have none.

At times the reward they will get for their pains

Is to strike very tempting auriferous veins;

Or, a shaft being sunk for some miles in the ground,

Not infrequently nuggets of value are found.

They bring us the gold when their labours are ended,

And we—after thanking them prettily—spend it.

MORAL.

Just you work for Humanity, never you mind

If Humanity seems to have left you behind.

L

was a Lady, Advancing in Age,

Who drove in her carriage and six,

With a Couple of Footmen a Coachman and Page,

Who were all of them regular bricks.

If the Coach ran away, or was smashed by a Dray,

Or got into collisions and blocks,

The Page, with a courtesy rare for his years,

Would leap to the ground with inspiriting cheers,

While the Footman allayed her legitimate fears,

And the Coachman sat tight on his box.

At night as they met round an excellent meal,

They would take it in turn to observe:

"What a Lady indeed! . . . what a presence to Feel! . . ."

"What a Woman to worship and serve! . . ."

But, perhaps, the most poignant of all their delights

Was to stand in a rapturous Dream

When she spoke to them kindly on Saturday Nights,

And said "They deserved her Esteem."

MORAL.

Now observe the Reward of these dutiful lives:

At the end of their Loyal Career

They each had a Lodge at the end of the drives,

And she left them a Hundred a Year.

Remember from this to be properly vexed

When the newspaper editors say,

That "The type of society shown in the Text

"Is rapidly passing away."

M

was a Millionaire who sat at Table,

And ate like this—

as long as he was able;

At half-past twelve the waiters turned him out:

He lived impoverished and died of gout.

MORAL.

Disgusting exhibition! Have a care

When, later on, you are a Millionaire,

To rise from table feeling you could still

Take something more, and not be really ill.

N

stands for Ned, Maria's younger brother,

Who, walking one way, chose to gaze the other.

In Blandford Square—a crowded part of town—

Two People on a tandem knocked him down;

Whereat

a Motor Car, with warning shout,

Ran right on top and turned him inside out:

The damages that he obtained from these

Maintained him all his life in cultured ease.

MORAL.

The law protects you. Go your gentle way:

The Other Man has always got to Pay.

O

stands for Oxford. Hail! salubrious seat

Of learning! Academical Retreat!

Home of my Middle Age! Malarial Spot

Which People call Medeeval (though it's not).

The marshes in the neighbourhood can vie

With Cambridge, but the town itself is dry,

And serves to make a kind of Fold or Pen

Wherein to herd a lot of Learned Men.

Were I to write but half of what they know,

It would exhaust the space reserved for "O";

And, as my book must not be over big,

I turn at once to "P," which stands for Pig.

MORAL.

Be taught by this to speak with moderation

Of places where, with decent application,

One gets a good, sound, middle-class education.

P

stands for Pig, as I remarked before,

A second cousin to the Huge Wild Boar.

But Pigs are civilized, while Huge Wild Boars

Live savagely, at random, out of doors,

And, in their coarse contempt for dainty foods,

Subsist on Truffles, which they find in woods.

Not so the cultivated Pig, who feels

The need of several courses at his meals,

But wrongly thinks it does not matter whether

He takes them one by one

or all together.

Hence, Pigs devour, from lack of self-respect,

What Epicures would certainly reject.

MORAL.

Learn from the Pig to take whatever Fate

Or Elder Persons heap upon your plate.

Q

for Quinine, which children take

With Jam and little bits of cake.

MORAL.

How idiotic! Can Quinine

Replace Cold Baths and Sound Hygiene?

R

the Reviewer,

reviewing my book,

At which he had barely intended to look;

But the very first lines upon "A" were enough

To convince him the Verses were excellent stuff.

So he wrote, without stopping, for several days

In terms of extreme, but well-merited Praise.

To quote but one Passage: "No Person" (says he),

"Will be really content without purchasing three,

"While a Parent will send for a dozen or more,

"And strew them about on the Nursery Floor.

"The Versification might call for some strictures

"Were it not for its singular wit; while the Pictures,

"Tho' the handling of line is a little defective,

"Make up amply in verve what they lack in perspective."

MORAL.

The habit of constantly telling the Truth

Will lend an additional lustre to Youth.

S

stands for Snail, who, though he be the least,

Is not an uninstructive Hornèd Beast.

His eyes are on his Horns, and when you shout

Or tickle them, the Horns go in and out.

Had Providence seen proper to endow

The furious Unicorn or sober Cow

With such a gift the one would never now

Appear so commonplace on Coats of Arms.

And what a fortune for our failing farms

If circus managers, with wealth untold,

Would take the Cows for half their weight in gold!

MORAL.

Learn from the Snail to take reproof with patience,

And not put out your Horns on all occasions.

T

for the Genial Tourist, who resides

In Peckham, where he writes Italian Guides.

MORAL.

Learn from this information not to cavil

At slight mistakes in books on foreign travel.

U

for the Upas Tree,

that casts a blight

On those that pull their sisters' hair, and fight.

But oh! the Good! They wander undismayed,

And (as the Subtle Artist has portrayed)

Dispend the golden hours at play beneath its shade.[B]

MORAL.

Dear Reader, if you chance to catch a sight

Of Upas Trees, betake yourself to flight.

[B]

A friend of mine, a Botanist, believes

That Good can even browse upon its leaves.

I doubt it. . . .

V for

the unobtrusive Volunteer,

Who fills the Armies of the World with fear.

MORAL.

Seek with the Volunteer to put aside

The empty Pomp of Military Pride.

W

My little victim, let me trouble you

To fix your active mind on W.

The WATERBEETLE here shall teach

A sermon far beyond your reach:

He flabbergasts the Human Race

By gliding on the water's face

With ease, celerity, and grace;

But if he ever stopped to think

Of how he did it, he would sink.

MORAL.

Don't ask Questions!

X

No reasonable little Child expects

A Grown-up Man to make a rhyme on X.

MORAL.

These verses teach a clever child to find

Excuse for doing all that he's inclined.

Y

stands for Youth (it would have stood for Yak,

But that I wrote about him two years back).

Youth is the pleasant springtime of our days,

As Dante so mellifluously says

(Who always speaks of Youth with proper praise).

You have not got to Youth, but when you do

You'll find what He and I have said is true.

MORAL.

Youth's excellence should teach the Modern Wit

First to be Young, and then to boast of it.

Z

for this Zébu, who (like all Zebús)[C]

Is held divine by scrupulous Hindoos.

MORAL.

Idolatry, as you are well aware,

Is highly reprehensible. But there,

We needn't bother,—when we get to Z

Our interest in the Alphabet is dead.

[C]

Von Kettner writes it "Zébu"; Wurst "Zebu":

I split the difference and use the two.

ILLUSTRATED HUMOROUS BOOKS

Published by Mr. EDWARD ARNOLD.

————

REALLY AND TRULY!

OR, THE CENTURY FOR BABES.

Written by ERNEST AMES, and Illustrated by MRS. ERNEST AMES,

Authors of "An A B C for Baby Patriots."

Fully and brilliantly coloured.

Price 3s. 6d.

————

RUTHLESS RHYMES FOR HEARTLESS HOMES.

The Verses by COLONEL D. STREAMER;

the Pictures by G—— H——.

Crown 4to. 3s. 6d.

————

TAILS WITH A TWIST.

An Animal Picture-Book by E. T. REED, Author of "Pre-Historic Peeps," &c.

With Verses by "A BELGIAN HARE."

Oblong demy 4to. 3s. 6d.

————

THE FRANK LOCKWOOD SKETCH-BOOK.

Being a Selection of Sketches by the late SIR

FRANK LOCKWOOD, Q.C., M.P.

Third Edition. Oblong royal 4to. 10s. 6d.

————

MORE BEASTS (FOR WORSE CHILDREN).

Verses by H. B. Pictures by B. B.

Demy 4to. 3s. 6d.

————

THE MODERN TRAVELLER.

By H. B. and B. B.

Fcap. 4to. 3s. 6d.

————

A MORAL ALPHABET.

By H. B. and B. B.

Fcap. 4to. 3s. 6d.

————

EDWARD ARNOLD, 37, BEDFORD STREET, LONDON.

Transcriber's Note:

The cover for this HTML edition of A Moral Alphabet was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.

Page 41, "o" changed to "to" (I to write)

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ***

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that:

• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”

• You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.

• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.

• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.

Table of Contents

A MORAL ALPHABET.

A MORAL ALPHABET

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE