Chapter XII: Preface (1)

The editors have endeavored to make this volume a treasure house of all the good things, new and old, which would serve to assist in the moral training of little children. The volume includes a Primer, arranged on the plan of the ordinary school primer, designed to give the elemental religious truths in the simplest form. Any child who is learning to read at school can learn also to read these sentences. The texts at the bottom of the pages are to be read by the parent to the child, and may with profit be committed to memory by the child. The short Bible stories which follow may also be easily read by children. The hymns and poems and most of the pictures are "classic." They should be known by every child for their own worth, and as an antidote for the rubbish which constitutes so large a proportion of the reading of children. Parents will be pleased to find the fine old hymns of Watts and Jane Taylor, some of them set to delightful music by Prof. Sleeper of Smith College. These poems should not be allowed by neglect to pass out of the possession of modern children.

It is hoped that this volume will go far toward solving the problem of Sunday afternoon occupation for children, and will meet the constant demand for such a collection of religious literature.

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CONTENTS

A BIBLE PRIMER 23

HYMNS FOR THE MORNING 69

When Morning Gilds the Skies. _From the German_ 71

A Song of Thanksgiving. _From the German_ 75

Heaven is Not Reached at a Single Bound. _J. G. Holland_ 77

Still, Still With Thee. _Harriet Beecher Stowe_ 78

SHORT BIBLE STORIES 79

God Sees Me. 81

What Does God Want Me To Do? 82

What God Gives. 85

Jesus and His Friends. 86

Jesus Had No Home. 89

The People Loved Jesus. 93

The Sea of Galilee. 94

The Boyhood of Jesus. 97

Jesus and Sick People. 98

Talking With Our Father. 101

God is Our Father. 105

What Jesus Said About Birds and Flowers. 106

What Jesus Said About Trees. 109

Jesus and the Little Girl. 110

The Baby Hid in a Basket. 117

An Old Book of Songs. 121

A Story Which Jesus Told. 126

Some Words Which Jesus Taught the People. 130

The Boy Who Came When He Was Called. 132

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_Stories of David_:

The Shepherd Boy Who Killed a Giant. 139

David and King Saul. 151

David and Jonathan. 156

David and His Three Brave Soldiers. 163

David and His Son Absalom. 167

The Story of a Good King. 170

Joseph and His Brethren. 177

The Boy Who Was Raised from the Dead. 193

The Kingdom of Heaven. 201

The Little Captive Maid. 205

How the People Traveled in the Lands of the Bible. 208

Houses in the Lands of the Bible. 214

Children in the Lands of the Bible. 217

Jerusalem. 218

The Jordan. 224

The Dead Sea. 226

Beth-lehem. 229

HYMNS FOR THE DAY. 231

Lord of All Being, Throned Afar. _Oliver Wendell Holmes_ 233

On Our Way Rejoicing _John S. B. Monsell_ 234

Of Such is the Kingdom _Jemima Thompson Luke_ 237

Sun of My Soul. _John Keble_ 238

Day by Day. 239

What Can Little Hands Do? _Fabin_ 240

How Gentle God's Commands _Philip Doddridge_ 241

Above the Clear Blue Sky _John Chandler_ 242

BEDTIME STORIES 243

The Story of the First Christmas. 245

The Story of Palm Sunday. 251

How Jesus Gave His Life for the World. 257

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The Story of the First Easter Day. 265

The Story of the First Thanksgiving. 270

Who Was the Neighbor? 279

The Good Shepherd. 282

Little Brothers of the Air and Fields. 292

SHEPHERD HYMNS. 305

Saviour, Like a Shepherd Lead Us _Dorothy A. Thrupp_ 309

Was There Ever Kindest Shepherd? _Frederick William Faber_ 310

Gracious Saviour, Holy Shepherd
_Jane E. Leeson and J. Whittemore_ 313

In Heavenly Love Abiding _Anna L. Waring_ 314

The King of Love My Shepherd Is. _Sir H. W. Baker_ 315

PRAYERS FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. 317

OLD TIME VERSES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. 325

Against Idleness and Mischief. _Isaac Watts_ 327

Against Pride in Clothes. _Isaac Watts_ 328

The Ant, or Emmet. _Isaac Watts_ 329

A Morning Song. _Isaac Watts_ 330

An Evening Song. _Isaac Watts_ 333

The Sluggard. _Isaac Watts_ 334

Praise for Mercies, Spiritual and Temporal. _Isaac Watts_ 337

The Rose. _Isaac Watts_ 338

Praise for Creation and Providence. _Isaac Watts_ 341

A General Song of Praise to God. _Isaac Watts_ 342

Innocent Play. _Isaac Watts_ 343

Against Quarreling and Fighting. _Isaac Watts_ 344

Love Between Brothers and Sisters. _Isaac Watts_ 345

A Summer Evening. _Isaac Watts_ 346

Summer. _Jane Taylor_ 349

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The Star (with music). _Jane Taylor_ 350-351

The Flower and the Lady, About Getting Up. _Jane Taylor_ 352

The Field Daisy. _Jane Taylor_ 353

The Little Child. _Jane Taylor_ 354

Going to Bed. _Jane Taylor_ 357

Time to Get Up. _Jane Taylor_ 358

The Snowdrop. _Jane Taylor_ 359

Getting Up (with music). _Jane Taylor_ 360-361

A Fine Thing. _Jane Taylor_ 362

A Pretty Thing. _Ann Taylor_ 365

The Sheep. _Jane Taylor_ 366

The Cow. _Jane Taylor_ 369

Going to Bed (with music). _Jane Taylor_ 370-371

Baby and Mamma. _Jane Taylor_ 372

The Tempest. _Jane Taylor_ 375

The Violet. _Jane Taylor_ 376

May Day Song. _John Keble_ 379

The Lamb. _William Blake_ 380

Some Murmur When Their Sky is Clear. _Archbishop Trench_ 383

Little Drops of Water. _Ebenezer C. Brewer_ 384

CHRISTMAS HYMNS 385

Christmas Lullaby _John Addington Symonds_ 389

The Star 390

A Christmas Carol. 393

The Guiding Star _William C. Dix_ 394

A Christmas Carol. _Dinah Maria Mulock_ 397

Hail the Night! All Hail the Morn. _Old German Choral_ 398

The Christmas Tree. 401

A Christmas Carol. _Charles Kingsley_ 402

Song of the Angels _Ancient Christmas Songs_ 405

Carol, Sweetly Carol. 406

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Cradle Hymn. _Martin Luther_ 409

Cradle Hymn. (with music) _Isaac Watts_ 410-411

Chorus. _Robert Herrick_ 412

Once in Royal David's City. _Mrs. C. F. Alexander_ 415

Calm on the Listening Ear of Night. _Edmund Hamilton Sears_ 419

HYMNS AND POEMS FOR THE TWILIGHT HOUR. 421

Ready for Bed. _Ida Fay_ 423

Baby's Boat. _George Cooper_ 424

Little Voices. 427

The Twilight Falls, the Night is Near. 429

Saviour, Breathe an Evening Blessing. _James Edmeston_ 430

Summer Rain. 433

The Glorious Heavens. _Addison_ 434

Twilight. _Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_ 437

The Pebble and the Acorn. _Gould_ 438

A Psalm of Life. _Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_ 440

While Thee I Seek, Protecting Power. _Helen Maria Williams_ 442

Oft in the Stilly Night. _Thomas Moore_ 445

The Bridge _Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_ 446

Kindness. _Colesworthy_ 448

Perseverance. 451

The Light of Stars. _Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_ 452

We Are Seven. _William Wordsworth_ 454

Children. _Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_ 459

One by One. _Adelaide Ann Procter_ 461

To-day and To-morrow. 463

Still with Thee. _James Drummond Burns_ 464

Lead, Kindly Light. _John Henry Newman_ 467

Now the Day is Over. _S. Baring-Gould_ 468

A Farewell. _Charles Kingsley_ 471

Good Night and Good Morning. _Lord Houghton_ 472

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New Year's Eve. _Alfred Tennyson_ 473

All Things Beautiful. _John Keble_ 476

The Chambered Nautilus. _Oliver Wendell Holmes_ 477

The Day is Done. _Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_ 481

A Child's Thought of God. _Elizabeth Barrett Browning_ 483

Lullaby Song. _From the German_ 484

The Pilgrims of the Night. _Frederick William Faber_ 487

MEMORY VERSES AND PROVERBS. 489

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A BIBLE PRIMER

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A BIBLE ALPHABET

A Ask and ye shall receive.

B Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

C Create in me a clean heart, O God.

D Do unto others as ye would that they should do unto you.

E Even Christ pleased not himself.

F Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

G Give us this day our daily bread.

H Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

I I am the bread of life.

J Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.

K Keep thy tongue from evil.

L Little children, love one another.

M My son, give me thine heart.

N Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

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O Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness.

P Pray without ceasing.

Q Quit you like men, be strong.

R Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.

S Suffer the little children to come unto me.

T Teach me thy way, O Lord.

U Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks.

V Verily, verily, I say unto you, he
that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

W What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

X Examine yourselves.

Y Ye are bought with a price.

Z Zealous of good works.

From an old alphabet belonging to Miss Clara L. Bodman, and
used by her kind permission.

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my father mother dear

My father.

My mother.

My dear father.

My dear mother.

"Honor thy father and thy mother."--_Exodus 20:12_.

"Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well
pleasing unto the Lord."--_Colossians 3:20_.

"My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not
the law of thy mother."--_Proverbs 1:8_.

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I brother sister love

I love my father.

I love my mother.

I love my brother.

I love my sister.

"Have love one to another."--_John 13:35_.

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."
--_I John 4:11_.

"Let us love one another: for love is of God."--_I John 4:7_.

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THE DIVINE MOTHER AND THE CHILD
By Murillo (1618-1682)

Bartolome Esteban Murillo was born at Seville, Spain, January 1, 1618.
Very poor at first, he afterward gained wealth and fame by his
masterly work, which made him an artist of the first rank. "The
peasant-painter of Spain," as he has been called, was a man of deep
religious convictions. "He alone in the seventeenth century kept alive
the pure flame of religious fervor which burned within the devout
Italians of the early school." His Madonnas are all of an especially
sweet and gentle and motherly type.
[End illustration]

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God me is

My father loves me.

My mother loves me.

God loves me.

God is my Father.

God loves me.

I love God.

"God is love."--_I John 4:8_.

"We love him because he first loved us."--_I John 4:19_.

"Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon
us that we should be called the sons of God."--_I John 3:1_.

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a gives all have home

I have a home.

I have a father.

I have a mother.

God gives me my father.

God gives me my mother.

God gives me my home.

God gives me all I have.

"Every good gift, and every perfect gift, is from above and
cometh down from the Father."--_James 1:17_.

"Give us this day our daily bread."--_Matt. 6:11_.

{33}{34}

A QUIET AFTERNOON IN THE UPLAND PASTURES

"Go out in the springtime among the meadows that slope from the shores
of the Swiss lakes to the roots of their lower mountains There,
mingled with the taller gentians and the white narcissus, the grass
grows deep and free; and as you follow the winding mountain paths,
beneath arching boughs, all veiled and dim with blossom--paths that
forever droop and rise over the green banks and mounds sweeping down
in scented undulation, steep to the blue water, studded here and there
with new mown heaps, filling all the air with fainter sweetness,--look
up toward the higher hills, where the waves of everlasting green roll
into their long inlets among the shadows of the pines: and we may
perhaps at last know the meaning of those quiet words of the 147th
Psalm, 'He maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.'"--_John Ruskin_
[End illustration]

{35}

see the grass

makes grow green

See the grass.

I see the grass.

The grass grows.

The grass is green.

I see the green grass.

God makes the grass.

God makes the grass grow.

God makes the green grass grow.

"He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass,
As showers that water the earth."--_Psalms 72:6_.

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flower lily white

rose red you

I see a flower.

The flower is a lily.

The lily is white.

I see a rose.

The rose is red.

I have a lily and a rose.

I love the lily and the rose.

Have you a flower?

I have a white flower.

God loves the flowers and makes them grow.

"Consider the lilies, how they grow. They toil not neither do
they spin."--_Matthew 6:28_.

{37}{38}

RESTING BENEATH THE TREES
By Corot (1796-1875)

Jean Baptiste Camille Corot was a famous painter of landscapes. He
was born at Paris, and while his work was not at first appreciated
he is now recognized as one of the greatest of the French school.

"The groves were God's first temples. Ere man learned
To hew the shaft, and lay the architrave,
And spread the roof above them--ere he framed
The lofty vault, to gather and roll back
The sound of anthems; in the darkling wood,
Amid the cool and silence, he knelt down,
And offered to the Mightiest solemn thanks
And supplication. . . ."

--_William Cullen Bryant_
[End illustration]

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bird sparrow nest flies in

sorry when it hurt

Do you see the bird?

It is a sparrow.

The sparrow flies.

The sparrow makes a nest.

It makes a nest in the green grass.

See the nest in the grass!

See the sparrow fly!

God loves the sparrow.

God is sorry when the sparrow is hurt.

Do not hurt the sparrow.

"Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings?
And not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God."
--_Luke 12:6_.

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day done bed will go

hear say prayer to heaven

The day is done.

The sparrow will go to bed.

It will go to bed in its nest.

The lily and the rose will go to bed.

I will go to bed.

I go to bed in my dear home.

My mother will hear me say my prayer.

I say my prayer to my Father in heaven.

My Father in heaven loves to hear me say my prayer.

"I laid me down and slept;
I awaked, for the Lord sustained me."--_Psalms 3:5_.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and
cometh down from the Father of lights."--_James 1:17_.

{41}{42}

THE "MATER AMABILIS IN GLORIA"
By Bodenhausen

"The extremely popular 'Mater Amabilis in Gloria,' where a girlish
young mother, her long hair streaming about her, stands in upper
air, poised above the great ball of the earth, holding her sweet
babe to her heart. Pictures like these constantly reiterate the
story of a mother's love--an old, old story, which begins again with
every new birth."--_Hurll_
[End illustration]

{43}

star sky above trees

shines night twinkle them

It is night.

I see a star.

The star shines at night.

The star twinkles.

The star twinkles in the sky.

Do you see the star?

It shines above the trees.

I love to see the birds, and the flowers, and the stars.

God made them all.

God loves them all.

God loves you.

"He telleth the number of the stars;
He calleth them all by their names."
_Psalms 147:4_.

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morning sun rises hills

glad here are awaken

The night is done.

The day is here.

I awaken when it is day.

The birds awaken when it is day.

The flowers awaken when it is day.

I see the sun in the sky.

The sun rises above the hills.

The sun rises above the trees.

The birds and the flowers are glad to see the sun.

Are you glad the night is done?

"Day unto day uttereth speech,
And night unto night showeth knowledge."--_Psalms 19:2_.

{45}{46}

THE INFANT SAMUEL
By Reynolds (1723-1792)

Sir Joshua Reynolds is thought by many to have been the greatest of
English painters. He was a Devonshire lad, and was intended by his
father for the medical profession. He early showed such aptitude for
painting that he was permitted to have his way, and after studying
in Italy, returned to England, where an exhibition of his work
aroused great enthusiasm, and his popularity continued through his
life.
[End illustration]

{47}

this saying kneeling thanking

his beside goodness child

See this little child.

He is going to bed.

He is saying his prayer.

He is kneeling beside his bed.

He is thanking his Father in heaven for his goodness.

Do you say your prayer?

I say my prayer night and morning.

"Ask, and it shall be given you."--_Matthew 7:7_.

"For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are
open unto their prayers."--_I Peter 3:12_.

{48}

sheep cows cover rain falls

eat for waters garden earth

Clouds cover the sky.

The rain falls.

The rain waters the earth.

The flowers in the garden are glad.

The red rose is glad.

The white lily is glad.

The green grass is glad.

The rain makes the grass grow.

The sheep and the cows eat the grass.

God gives the rain.

God makes the grass grow for the sheep and the cows.

"Praise ye the Lord;
Who covereth the heavens with clouds,
Who prepareth rain for the earth,
Who maketh the grass to grow upon the mountains."
_Psalms 147:8_.

{49}{50}

PLOWING IN PALESTINE
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood
and used by special permission

Very little advance has been made in methods of agriculture in
Palestine since the early days of which the Bible tells. The plow is
often still the crooked stick, sometimes strengthened by iron, but
still very primitive. It is no wonder that crops are so poor and
life is so hard under these conditions
[End illustration]

{51}

spring-time snow ice gone

robin blue-bird seeds help

The Spring-time has come.

The birds have come.

The blue-birds are flying in the air.

I see a robin in my garden.

I will go to my garden.

I will plant seeds in my garden.

The seeds will grow to be flowers.

I love to see them grow.

Have you a garden?

Do you see the birds in your garden?

What seeds do you plant in your garden?

God makes the flowers grow.

He gives the rain and the sun.

The rain and the sun help to make the flowers grow.

"Thou makest it soft with showers; thou blessest the springing
thereof."--_Psalms 65:10_

{52}

summer warm cool woods who

brightly bees sing pick hum

Summer is here.

The birds sing in the trees.

I hear the robins sing.

The flowers have come.

I will go to my garden and pick the roses and the lilies.

The sun shines brightly.

I love the warm sun.

The bees hum in the garden.

The woods are cool.

I love the cool woods.

Who gives us the warm summer days?

God gives us the summer days.

"Thou hast made summer and winter."--_Psalms 74:17_.

{53}{54}

THE AUTUMN WOODS

"The autumn-time has come;
On woods that dream of bloom,
And over purpling vines,
The low sun fainter shines.

The aster-flower is failing,
The hazel's gold is paling;
Yet overhead more near
The eternal stars appear!"
--_John Greenleaf Whittier_
[End illustration]

{55}

autumn frosty yellow large

peaches moon with nuts

gather crack fire before

This is autumn.

The summer has gone.

The nights are frosty.

The days are cool.

The trees are red and yellow.

The leaves are falling from the trees.

Soon the snow will come.

The moon is large in the sky.

It looks like a great yellow ball.

The stars shine brightly.

I love to see the moon and the stars.

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I love the large red apples.

Have you apples in your garden?

I love the peaches and the pears.

I go with my father to the woods, and gather nuts.

I will crack the nuts on the frosty nights, and eat them before the fire.

God made the apples, and nuts, and peaches, and pears.

I will thank God for his goodness.

"Thou crownest the year with thy goodness."--_Psalms 65:11_.

"The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord."--_Psalms 33:5_.

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof."--_Psalms 24:1_.

"The pastures are clothed with flocks: the valleys also are
covered over with grain."--_Psalms 65:18_.

{57}{58}

WINTER

"Leafless are the trees; their purple branches
Spread themselves abroad, like reefs of coral,
Rising silent
In the Red Sea of the winter sunset."
--_Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_

"A chill no coat, however stout,
Of homespun stuff could quite shut out,
A hard, dull bitterness of cold,
That checked, mid-vein, the circling race
Of life blood in the sharpened face,
The coming of the snowstorm told."
--_John Greenleaf Whittier_
[End illustration]

{59}

winter play sleep

cold frozen covers

under lake fort

It is winter.

Summer and autumn have gone.

The air is cold.

The robins and the bluebirds have gone.

The snow falls from the sky.

The snow covers the hills and the woods and the fields.

The flowers sleep under the snow in my garden.

They will wake when it is spring.

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The lake is frozen.

I see the white snow in my garden.

I love to play in the snow.

I will make a fort of the white snow in my garden.

I love the cold winter days.

God gives us the winter days as well as the summer days.

"He giveth snow like wool;
He scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes."--_Psalms 147:16_.

{61}{62}

THE SEA

"Unchangeable save to thy wild waves' play,
Time writes no wrinkles on thine azure brow--
Such as creation's dawn beheld, thou rollest now."
--_Lord Byron_
[End illustration]

{63}

Harold beach man

sea-shore dug owns

went sand sailing

ships

Harold went to the sea-shore.

He went with his father and his mother.

It was summer when he went.

The days were long and bright.

He played all day on the beach.

He dug in the sand.

He made hills in the sand.

When he went to bed at night, he heard the sea.

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He said his prayer beside his mother, and the sea sang him to sleep with its song.

He saw the sea when the sun rose in the morning.

The sun rose above the sea, when the night was gone, and the stars went to sleep.

In the bright morning, he saw the ships sailing on the sea.

No man owns the sea.

God made it, and it is his.

"The sea is his, and he made it."--_Psalms 95:5_.

{65}{66}

THE MOUNTAINS

"You should have seen that long hill-range
With gaps of brightness riven,
How through each pass and hollow streamed
The purpling lights of heaven,--

"Rivers of gold-mist flowing down
From far celestial fountains,--
The great sun flaming through the rifts
Beyond the wall of mountains."
--_John Greenleaf Whittier_
[End illustration]

{67}

Margaret high brooks

flow down climb

look beautiful think

often near

The mountains are high.

They are often covered with trees.

Brooks flow down the mountains.

Margaret went to the mountains in summer.

She could not climb the mountains.

She played in the woods and fields near the mountains.

She picked the red and white and yellow flowers in the fields.

She saw the birds and the bees and the beautiful trees.

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She loved the brook.

She loved to see the mountains.

They were beautiful when the sun set.

When she said her prayer at night, she looked at the beautiful hills and mountains.

It made her think of God to see the mountains which he made.

"I will lift mine eyes unto the hills,
From whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the Lord,
Which made heaven and earth."--_Psalms 121:1,2_.

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HYMNS FOR THE MORNING

{70} {71}

WHEN MORNING GILDS THE SKIES

When morning gilds the skies,
My heart awaking cries,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer,
To Jesus I repair;
May Jesus Christ be praised!

To Thee, O God above,
I cry with glowing love,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
This song of sacred joy,
It never seems to cloy,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Does sadness fill my mind?
A solace here I find,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Or fades my earthly bliss?
My comfort still is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When evil thoughts molest,
With this I shield my breast,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The powers of darkness fear,
When this sweet chant they hear,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When sleep her balm denies,
My silent spirit sighs,
May Jesus Christ be praised! {72}
The night becomes as day,
When from the heart we say,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Be this, while life is mine,
My canticle divine,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this the eternal song,
Through all the ages long,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
--_From the German_.

{73}{74}

THE BOY JESUS
By Winterstein

"Whatever father or mother wanted done in the house, fetching water,
drink, bread, meat, looking after the house and other things of that
sort, whatever he was bidden, that did the dear little Jesus, like
any other child."
--_Martin Luther_
[End illustration]

{75}

A SONG OF THANKSGIVING

We plough the fields and scatter
The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered
By God's almighty hand;
He sends the snow in winter,
The warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine,
And soft refreshing rain.
All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,
For all His love!

He only is the Maker
Of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower,
He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey Him,
By Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, His children,
He gives our daily bread.
All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,
For all His love!

We thank Thee, then, O Father,
For all things bright and good,
The seedtime and the harvest,
Our life, our health, our food; {76}
Accept the gifts we offer
For all Thy love imparts,
And what Thou most desirest,
Our humble, thankful hearts.
All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,
For all His love!
--_From the German of Mathias Claudius_.

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HEAVEN IS NOT REACHED AT A SINGLE BOUND

Heaven is not reached at a single bound,
But we build the ladder on which we rise,
From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies,
And we mount to the summit round by round.

I count this thing to be grandly true,
That a noble deed is a step toward God,--
Lifting a soul from the common clod,
To a purer air and a broader view.
--_J. G. Holland_.

By permission of Charles Scribner's Sons.

{78}

STILL, STILL WITH THEE

Still, still with Thee, when purple morning breaketh,
When the bird waketh, and the shadows flee:
Fairer than morning, lovelier than the daylight,
Dawns the sweet consciousness, I am with Thee.

Alone with Thee, amid the mystic shadows,
The solemn hush of Nature newly born;
Alone with Thee, in breathless adoration,
In the calm dew and freshness of the morn.

When sinks the soul, subdued by toil, to slumber,
Its closing eye looks up to Thee in prayer;
Sweet the repose, beneath Thy wings o'ershadowing,
But sweeter still to wake and find Thee there.

So shall it be at last in that bright morning
When the soul waketh, and life's shadows flee;
O in that hour, and fairer than day's dawning,
Shall rise the glorious thought, I am with Thee.

--_Harriet Beecher Stowe_.

{79}

SHORT BIBLE STORIES

{80} {81}

GOD SEES ME

When does God see me?

God sees me when I am good, and it makes him glad.

God sees me when I am bad, and it makes him sorry.

God sees me when I play, and knows if I am kind.

God sees me when I am at school, and knows if I am faithful.

God sees me when I am at home, and knows if I obey my father and my mother.

God sees me when I am cross, and knows how ugly I look and feel.

God sees me when I am happy, and knows how glad I am.

God sees me all day long, and wants me to love him.

God sees me all night long, and watches over me while I sleep.

"When I run about all day,
When I kneel at night to pray,
God sees.
Need I ever know a fear
Night and day, my Father near?
God sees."

"Thou God seest me."--_Genesis 16:13_.

{82}

WHAT DOES GOD WANT ME TO DO?

God wants me to be kind to other children.

God wants me to be gentle and loving.

God wants me to be kind to animals.

God wants me to obey my father and my mother.

God wants me to care more for others than for myself.

God wants me to keep the Sabbath day.

God wants me to pray to him every day.

God wants me to tell the truth.

God wants me to be happy all the day.

God wants me to be good, and then I shall be happy.

God wants me to do these things because he loves me.

I ought to want to do the things he wants me to do.

{83}{84}

PLOWING IN THE LANDS OF THE BIBLE

From a photograph taken by Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton,
and used by her kind permission.

How strange it looks to see a camel harnessed to a plow! If you look
closely you will see that the plow is strange, too. It is a crooked
branch with a plowshare fastened to it. It has only one handle. It
was a plow almost exactly like this that was used in the times of
the Bible. This picture was taken in the plains of old Philistia.
[End illustration]

{85}

WHAT GOD GIVES

God is always giving.

God gives to the trees their leaves and fruit.

God gives to the earth the rain in summer to make the grass grow, and the snow in winter to cover the ground.

God gives to the beasts and to the birds their food.

God gives to us our homes and friends and all that makes us happy.

God gives us the Bible to tell us how he loves us.

God gives us sweet sleep at night.

God gives us health to enjoy all his gifts.

What has God given you to-day? Have you thanked him for it?

"Who giveth food to the hungry."--_Psalms 146:7_.
"Who giveth to the beast his food."--_Psalms 147:9_.
"So he giveth his beloved sleep."--_Psalms 127:2_.
"He giveth snow like wool."--_Psalms 147:16_.
"Give us this day our daily bread."--_Matthew 6:11_.
"My peace I give unto you."--_John 14:27_.
"Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all."--_I Timothy 2:6_.

{86}

JESUS AND HIS FRIENDS

Jesus had many friends.

Some of them were people whom he had healed.

Some of them had heard him talk, and had learned to love him.

Sometimes they stayed with him, day after day.

Jesus loved his friends.

Jesus told his friends about God.

Jesus was so kind and loving to his friends that they could not help loving him.

The friends of Jesus were called disciples.

Disciple means learner.

The disciples learned what Jesus had taught.

Jesus picked out from his friends a few to be with him all the time.

They were sometimes called disciples, too.

Sometimes they were called apostles.

Apostle means one who is sent.

Jesus sent the apostles out to tell others about himself.

There were twelve of the apostles.

The names of three of them were Peter, James, and John.

{87}{88}

BEAUTIFUL NAZARETH:
OUTLOOK FROM HILLS ABOVE TOWN TO HISTORIC ESDRAELON

Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.

After he began his active ministry Jesus had no home, but while he
was a boy his home was in the town of Nazareth, beautifully situated
among the hills of Galilee. A traveler there describes the town as
it now is;--

"Almost in the center of this chain of hills there is a singular
cleft in the limestone, forming the entrance to a little valley.
As a traveler leaves the plain he will ride up a steep and narrow
pathway, broidered with grass and flowers, through scenery which is
neither colossal nor overwhelming, but infinitely beautiful and
picturesque. Beneath him, on the right-hand side, the vale will
gradually widen, until it becomes about a quarter of a mile in
breadth. The basin of the valley is divided by hedges of cactus into
little fields and gardens, which, about the fall of the spring
rains, wear an aspect of indescribable calm, and glow with a tint of
the richest green. Beside the narrow pathway, at no great distance
apart from each other, are two wells, and the women who draw water
there are more beautiful, and the ruddy, bright-eyed shepherd boys
who sit or play by the well sides, in their gay-colored Oriental
costume, are a happier, bolder, brighter-looking race than the
traveler will have seen elsewhere. Gradually the valley opens into a
little natural amphitheater of hills, supposed by some to be the
crater of an extinct volcano; and there, clinging to the hollows of
a hill, which rises to the height of some five hundred feet above
it, lie, 'like a handful of pearls in a goblet of emerald,' the flat
roofs and narrow streets of a little Eastern town. There is a small
church; the massive buildings of a convent; the tall minaret of a
mosque; a clear, abundant fountain; houses built of white stone, and
gardens scattered among them, umbrageous with figs and olives, and
rich with the white and scarlet blossoms of orange and pomegranate.
In spring, at least, everything about the place looks indescribably
bright and soft; doves murmur in the trees; the hoopoe flits about
in ceaseless activity; the bright blue roller-bird, the commonest
and loveliest bird of Palestine, flashes like a living sapphire over
fields which are enameled with innumerable flowers."
[End illustration]

{89}

JESUS HAD NO HOME

Jesus had no home of his own after he grew up.

Once a man wanted to be his disciple.

Jesus wanted this man to know that he had no fine house where he could entertain him.

He said that the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but that he had not where to lay his head.

His friends asked him to visit them.

They were always glad when he came to see them.

Sometimes a rich man asked Jesus and his friends to dinner.

He made no difference between the rich and the poor among his friends.

One of the homes where he liked to be was the home of a fisherman.

The fisherman's name was Simon.

{90}

Sometimes he was called by another name, Peter.

He caught fish in the lake of Galilee.

His house stood near the lake.

His fishing boat was drawn up upon the shore.

Another home where Jesus liked to stay was the home of Lazarus.

Lazarus had two sisters. Their names were Mary and Martha.

The brother and the sisters lived in a little town called Bethany.

Jesus loved these people very much.

Why was Jesus so poor?

"Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
that ye through his poverty might become rich."--_2 Corinthians 8:90_

{91}{92}

BETHANY

From a picture taken by Mrs. Frank L. Goodspeed,
and used by her kind permission.

This is a picture of the village of Bethany, not far from Jerusalem.
It was here in the home of Mary and Martha that Jesus liked so much
to stay.
[End illustration]

{93}

THE PEOPLE LOVED JESUS

The people loved Jesus.

They crowded about him to hear him talk.

Sometimes Jesus and his friends did not have time to eat.

Sometimes the people came after sunset.

Sometimes they came early in the morning.

Sometimes so many people came that the house would not hold them.

Then they had to go out of doors.

Jesus loved to talk with the people out of doors.

He loved to look up and see the blue sky and the green hills.

He told the people many stories while out of doors.

Jesus never turned the people away without trying to help them.

"Many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for
them."--_Mark 2:2_.

"And he went forth again by the seaside, and many came unto him, and
he taught them."--_Mark 2:13_.

"And all the city was gathered together at the door where Jesus
was."--_Mark 1:33_.

"And Jesus with his disciples withdrew to the sea . . . and a great
multitude, hearing what great things he did, came unto him."
--_Mark 3:7, 8_.

{94}

THE SEA OF GALILEE

Do you know what a lake is?

Did you ever see a lake?

There was a lake in the country where Jesus lived.

It was a pretty lake.

There were hills and mountains all about it.

There were towns and villages on its shores.

Jesus sometimes stayed in these villages.

The lake had a long name.

It was called Gennesaret.

It also had other names.

Sometimes it was called the Sea of Tiberias.

Sometimes it was called the Sea of Galilee.

There were many boats on the Lake of Gennesaret.

How swiftly they sailed along!

How the little waves danced on the waters!

How pretty the hills were on either side!

Some of the boats belonged to the friends of Jesus.

Sometimes these friends took Jesus in their boats.

One day he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.

The people were crowding about him.

He could not talk because they crowded so.

He had the boat pushed out a little way from shore.

Then he sat down and taught the people.

The people all sat on the shore and listened.

{95}

TIBERIAS, ON THE COAST OF THE SEA OF GALILEE

Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.

On this beautiful lake Jesus very often sailed with his fishermen
disciples.

At that time there were many towns and cities on its shores, but
now, except for a few small hamlets, the once populous shores are
desolate. But the lake is still as beautiful, its blue waters
sparkle in the sun, and the stars looking down from the brilliant
eastern sky are reflected in its bosom as when Jesus "walked in
Galilee".
[End illustration]

{97}

THE BOYHOOD OF JESUS

When Jesus was a boy, he lived at Nazareth.

Nazareth was a village among the hills.

It was itself on a hill.

All about it were green fields.

In the spring, the fields were filled with pretty flowers.

Jesus' father was a carpenter.

He made doors and chairs and tables.

Jesus helped about the shop.

He was a good boy and loved to help his father.

He helped his mother to draw water from the well.

He went to school and learned to read and write.

He went to church on the Sabbath.

The church to which he went was called a synagogue.

Do you suppose Jesus played with other boys and girls?

He played with them in the village streets.

He was always kind to them.

He never teased them or did things that were mean.

There is still a village of Nazareth.

The hills and the fields about it are the same as then.

{98}

JESUS AND SICK PEOPLE

Jesus was very sorry for people who were sick.

How pale and thin some of them looked!

How some of them suffered!

Jesus loved to heal them.

He was glad to see them get well again.

How happy they and their friends were when they were made well!

How glad the little children were to see their fathers and mothers come home again, well!

As soon as people knew that Jesus could heal the sick, they brought all their friends who were sick to Jesus.

Sometimes they brought sick children.

How glad Jesus was to make the children well!

"And at even when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that
were sick . . . And all the city was gathered together at the door.
And he healed many that were sick."--_Mark 1:32-34_.

"And when they were come out of the boat, straightway the people
knew him, and ran round about that whole region, and began to carry
about on their beds those that were sick, where they heard he
was."--_Mark 6:54-56_.

{99}{100}

NAZARETH

From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public
Library, and used by kind permission.

This is a picture of the village of Nazareth, where Jesus lived when
he was a boy. When he climbed the hills about the town he had a most
beautiful view of the mountains and valleys of Palestine. Looking
westward, the waters of the Mediterranean were spread out before
him, and he could see the white sails of the passing ships.
[End illustration]

{101}

TALKING WITH OUR FATHER

Because God is our Father we want to talk with him.

We want to tell him about many things.

We want to tell him how happy we are.

If we have been naughty, we want to tell him how sorry we are.

Sometimes we want to tell him how much we love him.

Why do we do this?

When people give us gifts, it is polite to say, "thank you."

God gives us gifts, and we should say "thank you," to him.

When we love people we want to talk with them.

If we love God we will want to talk with him.

When we have been naughty to anyone, we are sorry, and we want to say "please forgive me."

When we have been naughty, we ought also to ask God to forgive us.

{102}

It makes God sorry when we are naughty.

Would it be right to get up in the morning, and play all day when your father was at home, without saying one word to him?

Would it make your father glad or sorry?

Is it right, then, to take gifts from your Father in heaven all day long, and not say a word to him?

Does it make him glad or sorry?

Talking with our Father in heaven, we call praying.

It is telling him all the things we want to tell a loving father.

{103}{104}

JESUS HEALING THE SICK
By Heinrich Hofmann

Jesus was rightly called the "Great Physician." In the picture are
shown some of the sufferers whom Jesus delighted to help--the poor
little child, white and still in its mother's arms, the lame, and
the blind.
[End illustration]

{105}

GOD IS OUR FATHER

We call God our Father.

The prayer which Jesus taught us to pray, begins, "Our Father."

Why do we call God our Father?

Because God does for us what a good father does for his children.

A good father loves his children.

God loves his children.

A good father gets food and clothing, and other things which his children need.

God gets for his children what he sees they need.

A good father wants his children to be good.

God wants his children to be good.

A good father will not let his children have what would be bad for them.

God will not let us have what will be bad for us.

When we call God our Father, it is a way of saying, "God loves me, God will take care of me."

"Our Father who art in heaven."--_Matthew 6:9_.

"One is your father, even he who is in heaven."--_Matthew 23:9_.

"One God and Father of all."--_Ephesians 4:6_.

{106}

WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT BIRDS AND FLOWERS

"Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto his stature? And why are ye anxious concerning raiment?

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore if God so clothe the grass of the field, . . . shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"--_Matt. 6:26-30_.

{107}{108}

THE LAKE OF GALILEE

Another picture of the beautiful lake on which Jesus so often sailed
with his disciples. The lake abounded in fish, and there was a great
fleet of fishing boats which sailed about the lake and brought the
fish to the many towns and cities on its shores. Some of Jesus'
disciples were fishermen.

"And walking by the lake of Galilee, he saw two brethren, Simon who
is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the
lake; for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Come ye after
me, and I will make you fishers of men.

"And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

"And going on from thence he saw other two brethren, James the son
of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their
father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they straightway
left the boat and their father, and followed him."--_Matt. 4:18-22_
[End illustration]

{109}

WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT TREES

"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits ye shall know them."--_Matt. 7:16-20_.

"And he spake to them a parable: Behold the fig tree and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that the summer is now nigh at hand."--_Luke 21:29-30_.

{110}

JESUS AND THE LITTLE GIRL

Beseech
Beg.

Suffered
Allowed.

Many weeping and wailing
In the Bible times, when a person died, women were hired to weep
and wail. This was supposed to honor the dead.

Once upon a time, there was a man named Jairus. He was a very important man among the Jews. He was one of the rulers of the synagogue; that means that he was one of those who had charge of the worship in the synagogue or church of the town. This man had a dear little daughter. This little girl was twelve years old, and her father and her mother loved her very much. One day she was taken sick. Her parents were very anxious about her, for each day she seemed to be growing worse. Then her father remembered that Jesus could cure people who were sick. So he went to find Jesus, and ask him if he would come and make his little girl well. Jesus was very busy when Jairus found him. He was talking to a great multitude of people. Jairus pushed through the crowd, and fell down at Jesus' feet, and begged him to come and make his little girl well. Jesus was very glad to come, but there were so many people about him that he had to walk very slowly. He stopped to heal a poor sick woman on the way. At last he drew near Jairus' house, but people came out of the house and said it was too late, for the little girl was dead. How badly the poor father felt then! But Jesus told him not to be afraid, just to have faith in him. Here is the whole story, as it is told in the Bible:--

{111}{112}

JESUS AND THE LITTLE GIRL
By Gustav Richter (1823-1884)

"The healing of His seamless dress
Is by our beds of pain;
We touch Him in life's throng and press,
And we are whole again.

"Through Him the first fond prayers are said
Our lips of childhood frame,
The last low whispers of our dead
Are burdened with His name."
--_John Greenleaf Whittier_
[End illustration]

{113}

One day a great multitude was gathered about Jesus as he taught by the sea. And there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he falleth at his feet, and beseecheth him much, saying:--

"My little daughter is at the point of death: I pray thee, that thou come and lay hands on her, that she may be made whole, and live."

And he went with him; and a great multitude followed him.

As he approached the house, people came out, who said to Jairus:--

"Thy daughter is dead; why troublest thou the Master any further?"

But Jesus, not heeding the word spoken, saith unto the ruler of the synagogue:--

"Fear not, only believe."

And they come to the house of the ruler of the synagogue; and he beholdeth a tumult, and many weeping and wailing greatly. And when he had entered in, he saith unto them:-- {114}

"Why make ye a tumult, and weep? The child is not dead but sleepeth."

And they laughed him to scorn. But he, having put them all forth, taketh the father of the child and her mother and them that were with him, and goeth in where the child was. And taking the child by the hand, he saith unto her:--

"Talitha cumi," which means in the language of the country, "Little girl, I say unto thee, Arise."

And straightway the little girl rose up, and walked.

{115}{116}

EGYPTIAN TEMPLE ON THE ISLAND OF PHILAE

From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public
Library, and used by kind permission.

This is one of the beautiful temples of Egypt on an island in the
river Nile. This island has lately been covered by the waters of
the great artificial lake formed by the dam built by the English
government across the Nile to control the flow of the river. In the
foreground is seen a "dahabiyeh," one of the peculiar boats for
sailing upon the Nile.
[End illustration]

{117}

THE BABY HID IN A BASKET

Flags
Plants which grow in the water at the edges of ponds and rivers.

Bulrushes
Plants which were used for the weaving of baskets.

Ark
A woven basket.

Pitch
A sticky substance daubed on the basket to keep out the water.

Handmaid
A servant.

Once upon a time a little boy was born to some poor Hebrew people who were slaves in Egypt. The pharaoh, or king of that country, did not like the Hebrew people, and he said that all the little boy babies born to them must be killed. But the mother of this little boy wanted to save her pretty baby if she could. So she hid him three months. And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with pitch; and she put the child therein, and laid it in the flags by the river's brink. And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done with him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river; and her maidens walked {118} along by the river side; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent her handmaid to fetch it. And she opened it, and saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."

Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?"

And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go."

And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, "Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages."

And the woman took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses.

{119}{120}

THE RIVER NILE

From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public
Library, and used by kind permission.

The great river Nile was the very life of the country of Egypt which
lies along its banks. A little way back from the river the desert
begins. On the little green strip of the banks lived the proud and
powerful people who enslaved the Israelites. A fleet of dahabiyehs
is being loaded by the shore.
[End illustration]

{121}

AN OLD BOOK OF SONGS

Gates and Courts
The gates and open spaces of the temple of God.

Endureth
Lasteth.

Faithfulness
God will keep his promises.

Unto all generations
Always.