(Blackboard.)If Bad Temper gets the Mastery, it leads to sad Results.
73. The Young Horse.
Edgar was riding in the train with his mother one day. He sat next the window, as children like to do, so that he could see all that was going on. How the train speeds along! now passing through a tunnel, then out again into the sunshine; next it goes over a long row of arches builtacross a valley, and called a viaduct. "How high up we seem to be," said Edgar; "see, mother, the river is down there ever so far below!" Now they are passing through fields again, and there, looking over the hedge, is a beautiful young horse. But as the train whirls by, the horse runs off and scampers round and round the field. Edgar watched him as long as he could see, and then he said: "What a lovely horse, mother! how I should like to ride him!"
"The horse is of no use for riding yet, Edgar," said his mother.
"Why?" asked Edgar.
"Because he has not yet learnt to obey a rider," replied she; "the horse has to wear bit and bridle before he can be of use, and to learn by them to be controlled. A horse that could not be managed would run away with you, just as poor Henry's temper ran away with him (Story Lesson 72)."
Bad tempers and bad habits are like wild horses: they take us where they will, and get us into sad trouble if we do not bridle them, so we must take carenotto let the temper be master, but bridle it just as the horse-trainer bridles the horse.
"I should think the horse does not like the bit and bridle at first," said Edgar.
"Very likely not," replied his mother; "but he would not be the useful, patient animal that he is if he did not submit."
(Blackboard.)Horse has to be Held in by Bit and Bridle.We Must Bridle Temper and Bad Habit.
74. The Child on the Coach.
It was summer, and we were riding on the top of the coach through one of the loveliest parts of Scotland. The coach had five seats with four persons on each, so you may easily find out how many people there were. On the next seat to ours sat a lady with a little spoilt boy, about four years of age, who was very hard to please, and very discontented and unhappy. You will not be much surprised to hear that presently he began to cry, for spoilt children often do that, but I do not think you could ever guess thereason. His mother was speaking to a lady on the seat behind, and when the child was asked, "What is the matter?" he said, "Mamma is not attending to me when I speak to her," andthatwas why he cried. He wanted his mother to attend tohim, to speak to him all the time, and that was selfish. He was only a very little child, but he thought too much of that ugly word—self, and that was why he was so discontented and unhappy.
I knew another little child who was always wanting some one to play with her; she never tried to amuse herself, but was continually teasing her mother to join in her games. It is better to be like little Elsie (Story Lesson 21) who when only a year old thought of the comfort of others.
75. Edna and the Cherries.
One day a lady called at a cottage where there lived a little girl, named Edna, who was playing on the hearth-rugwith another little girl, Lizzie. The lady had come to see Edna's grandmamma, but she had not forgotten that Edna lived there, and she brought out of her basket a little paper bag full of ripe cherries, and gave them to the child. Edna did not forget to say "thank you," then she took the little bag, put it on a chair, and peeped inside; she was only two years old, and could not have reached the table. As soon as she saw the pretty, red cherries, she toddled to her little friend, and holding out the bag, said, "Lizzie some". When Lizzie had taken a handful, she went to her grandmother, and said, "Grandmamma some," and then with a shy, little glance at the lady, she placed the bag in her lap, and said, "Lady some".
Last of all she helped her dear little self, and so we say that Edna wasunselfish, that meansnotselfish. Baby Edna did not know about the Temple we all have to make, but she was building it just the same. Perhaps "Selfless" and "Thoughtful" were helping her to find the stones!
(Blackboard.)Think First of Others, Last of Self.
76. The Boy who liked always to Win.
We all like to win when we play games, and that is quite right, but Johnny likedso muchto win that he was cross and unhappy if any one else was winning, and did not enjoy the game at all; I am afraid that he even cheated sometimes to win. Now all that was downright selfish; it reminds one of a story—a sort of fairy-tale—about Minerva and Arachne.
Arachne said to Minerva, "Let us see who can spin the best". So they began to spin, and when Minerva saw that Arachne was beating her at the spinning, she struck her on the head with a spindle, and turned poor Arachne into a spider. It is a pity when people are so anxious to win that it makes them selfish.
Selfishness is an ugly stone to have in your Temple, dear children. Just as Thoughtfulness is one of the most beautiful stones, so Selfishness is one of the ugliest. Try not to let it come into your lives at all. No one likes a selfish child, but everybody loves the child whoforgetsself and thinks of others.
(Blackboard.)Try to be Glad when Others Win, as well as when you Win Yourself.
77. The two Boxes of Chocolate.
It was Christmas time, and on Christmas Eve the children hung up their stockings as usual. Next morning they were awake early, and eagerly turned out the stockings to see what they contained. Among other things Horace and Stanley found that they each had a beautiful large picture-box full of lovely chocolate creams.
After dinner on Christmas Day Stanley brought out his box, and handed it round to everybody, and by the next day his chocolates were all finished.
But Horace hid his box away in a drawer, and kept going to it, and taking out a few at a time, so his chocolates lasted much longer than Stanley's, and he atethem all himself, but we are obliged to say that he was rather selfish. "Shared joy is double joy," and of the two boys we are sure that Stanley would be the happier.
Shall I tell you a little secret? Selfishness will spoil theotherstones if you let it come into your Temple, and as to thegold—the lovely gold of "Kindness" that the little "Gold-wings" brought—Selfishness willeat it all awayin time. I am sure we all hate selfishness; let us write down
(Blackboard.)We will not have the Ugly Stone "Selfishness" in our Temple.
78. Eva.[15]
Eva was not a very big girl, and her boots were generally cleaned by the older ones, but one day her mother said, "Eva, I wish you would brush your own boots this morning, we are all so busy".
"Oh mother!" said Eva, "you know it gives me a headache to brush boots, and I shall make my hands so dirty, and perhaps bespatter the floor with blacking as well." I am afraid Eva was rather a spoilt little girl, and this had made her somewhat selfish.
Half an hour later her mother came into the room again, just as Eva was lacing up her boots, and she inquired who had made them so bright and shiny. It was Eva's elder sister, Mary, and Eva knew that her mother was not pleased, but nothing more was said.
In the afternoon Mary and her mother went out shopping, and Eva hurried home from school, although she would have liked very much to stay for a while and play with the other girls. But she wanted to give mother a surprise. First she put the kettle on the fire, and then she laid the table all neatly and nicely, ready for tea. When everything was in its place, she went to the door several times to look for her mother and sister; at last she saw they were just turning the corner of the street, and Eva ran along to meet them, and said, "Come away, mother, tea is quite ready; I have been looking for you and Mary ever so long". And dear mother knew what it all meant.
It meant that Eva had been listening to the Good Voice, and that she was sorry she had been so selfish in the morning. The Good Voice says
(Blackboard)Don't be Selfish. Help all you can.
79. The Misfortunes of Elinor.
Elinor was a great anxiety to her mother, for she was always either tearing her clothes, or forgetting, or losing something—all because she was so careless. One day at tea Elinor was taking the cup which her mother had just filled, but as she was not looking at it, nor taking any care, it tilted over and fell against a tall flower-vase that stoodin the centre of the table. The vase was broken, and the tablecloth deluged with tea and water—all for want of a little care.
Another day Elinor's mother gave her a shilling, and sent her to the shop for some fruit, but she lost the money, and returned empty-handed.
Coming home from school one day, she was poking her umbrella about in a little stream of water that the rain had made along the side of the road, when the tip of the stick caught in a grate and broke off, so the umbrella was spoilt. I could tell you many more things about poor careless Elinor, but these are enough to show how bad it is not to take care. Sometimes people have taken poison instead of medicine by being careless, and not noticing the label on the bottle; and sometimes a train has been wrecked, and lives lost, because the engine-driver was careless about noticing the signal.
(Blackboard.)Do not be Careless; it brings Trouble.
80. How Daisy's Holiday was Spoilt.
Daisy's aunt had invited her to go and spend the day with her cousin Violet, and to Daisy, who lived in the town, it was a very great treat; for Violet's father and mother lived at a farm, and when Daisy went there, the two little girls spent the whole day out in the open air, climbing onthe hay, playing "hide and seek" in the barn, or helping to milk the cows. The last time Daisy went to the farm, however, she had taken cold, and her mother found that she had been playing without coat and hat, so on this occasion she said, "Daisy, I want you to promise me that you will keep your outdoor things on when you are playing with Violet, for the day is cold".
Daisy did not answer, and when her mother again asked her, she would not promise. The omnibus which was to take Daisy to the farm would pass at nine o'clock, and the time was drawing near, but still Daisy was self-willed and would not give in. (Oh, Daisy! that isnotthe Good Voice you are listening to, you will be sorry afterwards.) The omnibus came rumbling down the street, and Daisy sprang up ready to go.
"Do you promise, Daisy?" asked her mother; "I cannot let you go unless you do;" but Daisy was still obstinate, and the omnibus went quickly past. A minute after she burst into tears, and cried, "Iwillpromise, mother," but by this time the omnibus was too far on its way, and there was not another until two o'clock. At this time Daisy was allowed to go, but what a pity that she should lose half a day's pleasure, and disappoint her cousin, as well as grieving her dear mother, all for the sake of wanting her own way. You remember what we said about mother knowing best in "Obedience" (Story Lesson 6). When we are obstinate, we want to pleaseourselvesinstead of some one else, so you can see that
(Blackboard)It is Selfish to be Obstinate;Better give in; Mother Knows Best.
81. Stephen and the Buns.
It was breaking-up day at school, and the children were having buns and tea. Each child had brought a clean pocket-handkerchief, and spread it on the desk for a tablecloth. Then the teacher gave out the buns; nice large buns they were, with sugar on the top, and there were just a few left over, after one had been given to each child. Next a cup of tea was placed on each desk, and the tea-party went on merrily.
But why does Stephen take such large bites, and fill his mouth so full? And why is he eating so quickly? See, his bun is finished now, and he is asking for another! "Oh! Stephie, naughty boy, you have gobbled up your bun as fast as you could, because you were afraid the buns left over would be used up before you asked for more. That wasgreedy."
Do not be greedy, boys and girls. Never mind how hungry you are; eat slowly and nicely, and pass things to others. It is so selfish to think only of yourownwants, and not to care how other people are getting on. "Greediness" is an ugly word, and no one likes to see greedy children.
(Blackboard.)It is Rude and Vulgar to be Greedy.
82. The Stag and his Horns.
Have you ever seen a stag with its graceful, branching horns?
There is a fable told of a stag who went to a pool to drink, and seeing himself reflected in the water, he said: "Dear me, how beautiful are my horns; what a nice, graceful appearance they give to me! My legs are quite slender, and not at all beautiful, but my horns are handsome." When the hunters came, however, the stag found that his slender legs were very useful, for by means of them he could run away from his enemies, and if it had not been that his horns caught in the branches of a tree and held him fast, he might have escaped.
You see how foolish it was of the stag toboastabout his fine horns; and we are just as foolish whenweboast of anything that we have, or of anything we can do.
Boasting often leads to untruth, as in (Story Lesson 11) "The Three Feathers". It is always vulgar to pretend that we are better than our neighbours, and people who boast generally try to make one believe that theyarecleverer or richer or better than somebody else. Let us be like the modest violet, who hides her beauty, rather than be boastful and foolish, as the stag was.
(Blackboard.)It is Foolish and Vulgar to Boast.
83. The Little Girl who was Lost.
A little girl wandered away from home one morning and got lost in a wood. She tried in vain to find the way home again, but she could not, and then she sat down and cried, for she was so tired, and oh!sohungry. She thought of the many crusts of bread and pieces of meat that she had often left on her plate at home, and how glad she would have been to eat them now. It was evening when her friends found her, and took her safely home; we will hope that she remembered that hungry day in the woods, and did not waste any more pieces of bread afterwards.
If you think of the many poor people who have scarcely enough to eat, you will see how wrong it is to waste anything. When we have more than we need, let us give it to those who have not enough, and never forget that
(Blackboard)It is Wrong to Waste.
84. The Sluggard.
You will hear of a great king (inStory Lesson 90) who had a throne of ivory overlaid with gold. When you are old enough to read the words he wrote (Proverbs) you will find that he always kept his eyes wide open and noticed things.
As the king was taking a walk one day, he passed by avineyard, which is another name for a grape-garden, and he noticed that the wall was broken down. He looked farther, and saw that the vines were all trailing on the ground, instead of being tied up, and worse still, they were all grown over with nettles and thorns—the beautiful grape vines that give such rich, delicious fruit. "How is this?" thought the king, and he began to consider. "Ah!" said he, "this vineyard belongs to the man who likes 'a little sleep,' 'a little slumber,' and who would rather fold his hands and go to sleep again than use them to work in his garden. And what will be the end of it all? He will soon be poor, and have nothing to eat, while his lovely grapes which would have sold for money if he had looked after them, lie there buried and spoilt by the nettles and thorns."
It is quite right to sleep through the dark night, but this man slept in the daytime as well, instead of weeding his garden, and tying up the grapes, so we say he was a sluggard. What an ugly word it is! Wouldyoulike to be a sluggard? No, indeed you would not. Then remember this:—
(Blackboard)Never be Lazy.
85. The Elephant that Stole the Cakes.[16]
Far away in a country called India there are many elephants, which are used for hunting, and also for carrying burdens.
One evening a driver brought his elephant home, and chained him to a tree; then he went a short distance away, and made an oven to bake his cakes for supper. You will wonder how this was done.
First he dug a hole in the ground, in which to place his fuel, and when he had set the fuel alight, he covered it with a flat stone or plate of iron, and on this he put his rice cakes to bake. He then covered them up with grass and stones and went away.
The elephant had been watching all this, and when the man was gone, he unfastened the chain which was round his leg with his trunk, went to the oven, uncovered the cakes, and took them off with his trunk and ate them. (Perhaps he waited a little while until they cooled, for the elephant does not like his food hot.) Then he put back the grass as before, and returned to the tree. He could not manage to fasten the chain round his leg again, so he just twisted it round as well as he could, and stood with his back to the oven as if nothing had happened.
By-and-by the driver returned, and went to see if his cakes were ready. They were all gone, and the elephant was peeping over his shoulder to see what would happen next. The driver knew by his guilty look thathewas the thief; the elephant knew he had done wrong and was ashamed.
Let us not do anything that we need be ashamed of. We know what is right better than the elephant, because we can think better.
(Blackboard.)Do nothing that you need be ashamed of.
86. Heedless Albert.
"Listen, boys," said the teacher, "I am going to tell you about a land across the sea, not much more than twenty miles from England—the sunny land of France." So he went on to tell them of the vines loaded with grapes, from which wine is made; of the apples growing by the roadside, and of the French people, how gay and merry they are, and how neatly the poor people dress.
Many more interesting things he told them, and then he said: "Now, take your papers, and write down all that you can remember about France". The boys set to work, and soon all were very busy, except one—a boy named Albert, who could not think of anything to write, and who, when the papers were collected had not managed to pen a single line. How was this, do you think? It was simply because he hadnot attendedto the teacher when he was speaking, and so he could not remember anything that had been told him.
One day, when Albert was about ten years old, his mother sent him to a farm for some eggs. He had not been to the farm before, but his mother told him exactly which way to go, and if he had listened he could have found it easily.
In about an hour Albert came back, swinging the empty basket. He had not been able to find the farm. Why? Because he did notattendwhen his mother was telling him the way.
You will readily see that a child who does not attendcannot learn much, and will never be bright and clever, nor of much use in helping others.
(Blackboard.)Do not be Heedless; Listen and Attend.
87. Olive and Gertie.
Olive and Gertie were walking along a country road, and high up in the sky a lark poured forth his sweet song.
"How beautifully that skylark sings," said Olive; "it is worth while to come out into the country just to hear it."
"I did not hear it," said Gertie, swinging her parasol.
"It is there, right overhead," exclaimed Olive; "do look, Gertie; it will drop like a stone when it gets nearer the ground."
"Oh! I cannot trouble to look up," replied Gertie, "it makes my neck ache."
By-and-by they passed a field of oats, nearly ripe, and as the wind swayed them to and fro, they made a pleasant rustling sound.
"How nice it is to hear the corn as it rustles in the wind," said Olive, "and listen, Gertie, is not this a pretty tinkling sound?"
Olive had plucked one of the ears of oats, and was shaking its little bells close to her friend's ear.
"It is nothing," said Gertie.
"To me it is lovely," replied Olive, "and the tinkle of the harebells is just as sweet."
Then a bee went buzzing by, and Olive liked to hear its drowsy hum, but Gertie did not notice it.
Presently they were on the edge of the cliffs, and could hear the splash of the waves as they rolled in and broke on the beach.
"Surely you like to hear 'the song of the sea,'" said Olive, but Gertie made no reply—she was thinking of something else.
Do not be like Gertie, who seemed as if she had "No Ears," but, like Olive, keep your ears open to all the sweet and pleasant sounds.
The fire makes a pleasant sound as it burns and crackles in the grate, and who does not like to hear the "singing" of the kettle on the hob? How musical is the flow of the stream, and do you not love to hear the splash of the oars as they dip in the river? or the sound made by the bow of the boat as it cuts through the water? Some people like to hear the "thud" of a great steamer as it ploughs its way through the sea, and everybody loves the sound of the wind as it whispers in the trees.
The sounds that we hear in the fields and woods are called "voices of nature," let us listen to them, for they speak to us of God's love.
(Blackboard.)Listen to the Voices of Nature;They Speak of God's Love.
(Let the children enumerate some of the pleasant "sounds" mentioned, and the teacher might then write them on the Blackboard.)
(Let the children enumerate some of the pleasant "sounds" mentioned, and the teacher might then write them on the Blackboard.)
88. The Two Brothers.
Have you ever heard of the "Black Country"? It is a part of England where there are many furnaces and iron-works, and a great deal of smoke; that is why it is called by this name.
Two boys, named Francis and Algie, lived in this district, for their father was an iron-worker, and one evening they went out for a long walk. They were away two or three hours, and when they returned their mother said: "Well, boys, what did you see in your walk?"
"Nothing, mother," replied Algie, "there is nothing pretty to be seen; it is all black and ugly."
"Ah!" said Francis, "but there was thesky, and that was beautiful, for we were walking towards the sunset, and the colours were changing all the time. First the sky seemed to be all over gold, and then as the sun went down it changed to red; next when I looked there were shades of a lovely green or blue, which soon changed to dark red; it was the loveliest sunset I have ever seen."
How strange it was that, although both boys had eyes, only one of them saw anything worth seeing! Francis was the boy with "eyes," while Algie was as though he had "no eyes". Keep your eyes open, children, and try to see all that is beautiful. It is such a pity when people grow up and walk about without seeing anything. There is always something to see in the sky. Sometimes it is all a lovely blue, with white, fleecy clouds floating across it, or piled up in curly masses; and at night it is of adeeper blue, and the stars come peeping out, reminding us in their beauty of goodness and God:—
Thou Who hast sown the sky with stars—Setting Thy thoughts in gold.
And the silver moon, which is always changing its shape, how lovely that is! Do not forget to look for the beauty of the sky.
89. Ruby and the Wall.
Little Ruby was not two years old, but she always noticed things, and tried to find out their names.
One day when she was walking out with her auntie they passed a stone wall. Ruby looked at it, and then glancing up said, "Wall".
"Yes," said auntie. "What is the wall made of?"
"Coal," answered Ruby quite seriously. (I suppose the blocks of stone reminded her of the same shape in the coals.)
"No, it is not coal," said auntie.
Ruby was puzzled, and thought for a little, then she said, "Wash it".
You see she had never heard the word "stone," and as her little hands, when dirty, became lighter coloured withwashing, she thought that stone must be "washed" coal. It was wrong, of course, but it shows you that tiny Ruby used her eyes, andthoughtabout things.
(Blackboard.)
Two kinds of eyes:—1. Eyes that See—Francis, Ruby.2. Eyes that do not See—Algie.
90. The Daisy.
You have often gathered buttercups and daisies, but have you ever gazed into the daisy's yellow eye, and thought how wonderful it was? You will find that it is made up of many tiny flowerets, all packed closely together. And the fringe of white petals, tipped with pink, how beautifultheyare! and so dainty that we might almost think they had been painted by the pencil of a fairy! And have you noticed the strong, green cup which closes round the petals at night, and keeps them all safe?
You have held the pretty buttercup under your chin to make it look yellow, but have you ever looked carefully at the shining petals of gold? How smooth, and clear, and glossy they are!
There was once a great, wise king, who was so rich that he had plates and cups of gold instead of china. He made a beautiful throne of ivory, with six lions on the one side and six on the other, and the throne was all overlaid with gold; how bright and glittering it would be! And then picture the king himself in his robes of state, seated on his gilded throne, how dazzling and beautiful it would all look! And yet the greatest Teacher who ever lived—He who took the little children in his arms—said that the great King Solomon, with his throne of ivory and gold, "in all his glory" was not so beautiful as the lily growing in the field. So you see the best of all beautyis close beside us, at our feet indeed, if we only have eyes to see it.
Dear little modest daisy,I love your yellow eye,I love the pink-tipped petalsThat round the centre lie;I love the pretty buttercupOf lovely, shining gold;I love it, for it speaks to me,Of wondrous love untold.
You have heard of other beautiful sights and sounds in the Story Lessons that have gone before (87,88), and in the Story Lesson which follows you will learnwhyit is good to love all these beautiful things.
91. Beauty and Goodness.
Why do we hang pictures on the walls, and put plants in the windows? Because we want to make the room look pretty.
Why do we love the flowers and the trees, the bright green fields and the waving yellow corn? Why are we so glad to be near the sea, with its glorious, rolling waves, and to bask in the warm, bright rays of the sun? Because they areallbeautiful, and when we love what is beautiful it helps us to love what is good; and when we lovegoodnesswe love God, who gave us all this beauty.
Now you will see why it is so wicked todestroybeautiful things. When a boy carves his name on a tree, or breaksoff its graceful branches, hedestroysthat which is good, instead of loving it; and how can he grow up gentle and true if he does not love beauty and goodness? Sometimes people put iron railings round their gardens, and you will have noticed that they are often finished off with a pointed pattern at the top, to make them look pretty. When a boy comes along and knocks off the points, he makes the railings lookuglyinstead of pretty. He would never think of destroying the pictures that hang on the walls of his home, or of throwing the plants away that stand in the window, yet he destroys things that arenot his, and that other people have put there to make their houses look nice. I am sure you will say this is not right; it isdownright wrong, just as wrong as it would be for me to go and break that boy's slate, or to snap his wickets in two when he is wanting a game of cricket, and it is all for want ofthinking.
It is quite dreadful to know that so many cruel, unkind things are done, just because boys and girls do not trouble tothink! But I hope thatyou, dear children,will think, and keep your little hands from spoiling anything.
(Blackboard.)It is Wrong to Spoil and Destroy.
92. The Lost Path.
A boy named Eric was coming home from school. There were two ways that he could take—one was a path throughthe fields, and the other was a winding road. It was winter time, and there was snow on the ground. Eric chose the field path, for it was the shorter of the two, but he had not gone far when it began to snow very fast. The snow-flakes were so large, and fell so quickly, that there was very soon quite a thick carpet on the ground, and before long Eric found that he could not see the path, and he scarcely knew where he was. If he had only turned round just then, he could have seen his own footprints in the snow, and following them, would have got back to the road safely, but he did not want to do this, so he went on and on until he was lost entirely, and had not the least idea as to which was the way home.
Then he determined to turn back, and try to reach the road, but where are his footprints? All covered up with snow. Eric felt ready to cry, but he struggled on as long as he could, and then a great drowsiness came over him, and he fell down in the snow.
It is just like that with wrong-doing, if we do not turn back at once, it becomes more and more difficult to find the path, and sometimes the wrong-doer loses it altogether.
When Eric did not come home from school his parents became very anxious, and his father accompanied by the dog went out to seek him. First he took the way by the road, then he came over the field-path, and the dog ran sniffing about in the snow, until he came to what looked like a white mound, and there was Eric half-buried in the snow. You can imagine how pleased the father was when he had his boy safe in his arms, and how gladly he carried him home, for if Eric had not been found quickly, he must have died. Remember Eric in the snow, and
(Blackboard.)When you have gone Wrong, Turn Back at Once.
93. Intemperance.
From all these Story Lessons you will see that there are a great many "stones" for the building of "character".
But there is another thought, which is this: abad"stone,"onebad "stone" may spoilallthe rest. You remember we said (Story Lesson 77) that Selfishness could spoil a character. And there is another fault—I think we ought to call it a sin—that spoils the character of many an up-grown person. I mean the sin of Intemperance. You know what that is, do you not? When we say that people are intemperate, we generally mean that they take too much beer or wine, and I have known most beautiful characters spoilt by that bad "stone".
When a man has lovely "stones" like Kindness, Unselfishness and Truth in his Temple, is it not a pity that these should be all eaten away by the dreadful sin of Intemperance? Even truth, the foundation, decays, and often the lovely temple of character tumbles all to ruins.
What should you think is the best thing for children to do? Is it not this? Nevertakeany of these things thatcauseIntemperance, and then you will never be fond of them, and they will never get the mastery of you and spoil your character.
(Blackboard.)It is Better not to Take Things that CauseIntemperance.
(To be read first.)
94. The Watch and its Springs.
You have heard the ticking of your father's watch, and have seen the hands on its face, but did you ever get a peep inside at the wonderful tiny wheels and springs? These are called theworks, and iftheyare not right and true the hands and the face are of no use at all, because it is only when thewheelsandspringswork properly that the hands can tell the time correctly.
It is just the same with us. If thecharacteris true and good, it will not be difficult to be polite and nice in manner, for manners are theoutsidepart of us (just as the hands and face are the outside parts of the watch). The kind, good thoughtswithin—in our hearts—will teach us how to behave.
There is nothing that makes people so rude as thinking of self and forgetting the comfort of others; some call it "Thoughtlessness," but we fear the true name is "Selfishness". If we areunselfish and thoughtful for others, we shall not be likely to do anything thathurtspeople, and so we shall not be likely to be rude.
In the Story Lessons on "Manners" which follow, just see if you can find out what it is that causes each rudeaction. You will probably say that it is "want of thought" for others.
(The writer would ask the teacher, or mother, who reads the following Story Lessons to the little ones to emphasise this fact in each—thatthought for othersinduces nice manners, while "Thoughtlessness" and "Selfishness" invariably lead to rudeness. Spoilt children, and those whose mothers are in the habit of doing everything for them,missthe training in "Thoughtfulness for others" which is so essential to the building up of an unselfish character; and so the mother's intended kindness is in realitynotkindness, seeing that it causes distinct loss to the child,viz.,lossof those traits of character which are the most desirable, and which tend to the greatest happiness.)
(The writer would ask the teacher, or mother, who reads the following Story Lessons to the little ones to emphasise this fact in each—thatthought for othersinduces nice manners, while "Thoughtlessness" and "Selfishness" invariably lead to rudeness. Spoilt children, and those whose mothers are in the habit of doing everything for them,missthe training in "Thoughtfulness for others" which is so essential to the building up of an unselfish character; and so the mother's intended kindness is in realitynotkindness, seeing that it causes distinct loss to the child,viz.,lossof those traits of character which are the most desirable, and which tend to the greatest happiness.)
95. Fairy Tale of Alec and his Toys.
Alec was a merry little fellow, full of life and fun, and a great favourite with his aunties and uncles, who often gave him nice presents.
The strange thing about Alec was that he always forgot to say "Thank you". No matter how beautiful the present, he would just take it and play with it, and return no thanks to the kind giver, until his mother reminded him how rude it was not to say "Thank you". Alec was not like little Vernon (Story Lesson 44), who was brimming over with thanks.
One night as Alec's mother was putting him to bed, she said: "Alec, I have been reading some verses about a little girl who would not say 'Please'. She would cry 'Pass me the butter,' 'Give me some cheese'. So the fairies, 'this very rude maiden to tease,' carried her down into the woods, among the butterflies and birds and bees, until she should have learnt better manners."
Alec listened with wide-open eyes fixed on his mother's face, but when she said, "I wonder what the fairies would do with a little boy who always forgets to say 'Thank you,'" his eyes dropped, and he was very quiet while his mother was tucking him in his little cot.
When she had gone Alec thought to himself, "Suppose the fairies should come and take all my toys away," then he fell asleep, and this is what happened.
The fairiesdidcome, and Alec saw them. Such funny little fellows they were, dressed in red, with funny little wings stuck out behind, and the funniest of little peaked caps on their heads.
Alec began to wonder about his toys, and sure enough they had come to fetch them. First they picked up a beautiful, long railway train, which was a present from Aunt Sophie. It took them all to lift it, there were so many carriages. (Why do they not draw it along? thought Alec.) Up on their shoulders it went. Would the peaked caps fall off? No, they were all tilted sideways, and the train was borne safely out.
Soon the funny little fairies came dancing in again, laughing and rubbing their hands as they looked all about. Surely they were not going to take the Noah's ark!Thatwas Uncle Jack's present, and the animals were such beauties! But that did not matter to the fairies. Slowly the ark was lifted on their shoulders; six fairies were on one side and six on the other; again the peakedcaps were tilted sideways, and solemnly they all marched out.
Next time they pulled out a wooden horse, papa's gift, and Alec saw that the fairies all jumped on its back, and then a funny thing happened—the horse walked out of itsownaccord.
Again and again they came in and bore away one precious toy after another, until there was nothing left but grandpapa's gift—the tricycle. Surely they will leave that! Alec never knew until now how much he loved his toys; but here they are again, and, yes! they are actually bringing out the tricycle. One sits on the saddle, one on each pedal, and all the rest on the handle-bar. Now the pedals go round, and, strange to say, the funny little men do not fall off. The tricycle seems to go of itself, as the horse did.
And now, oh dear!everythingis gone, and Alec thinks he is worse off than the little girl who was carried away by the fairies.
Morning comes! Alec wakes and rubs his eyes; what has happened? Oh! the toys! Quick as thought he is out of bed, and off to the playroom in his night-dress. Where are the toys? All there, just as he left them last night. "It was only a dream, then," said Alec; "how glad I am that it is not true, but all the same Iwillremember to say 'Thank you' in future," and he did.