Stories Pictures Tell Volume IV Part 3

These dogs show remarkable kindness not only toward man but toward other animals. When another dog has been injured they have been known to carry bones and other food to it.

A Newfoundland was once taken to a dog pound with numerous other dogs.

He soon gnawed his rope in two and was about to escape when, hearing the piteous cries of the other dogs, he went from one to another, setting them all free.

Even abuse will not make these loyal animals turn against a master, although they have been known to run away from a cruel one. A story is told of a man who, while rowing a boat, pushed his Newfoundland dog into the stream. The dog followed the boat for some time but, growing tired at last, tried to get back into the boat. The man pushed him away several times, finally pushing so hard that he overturned the boat and was about to drown. The good dog, however, caught hold of his coat and held him above water until help came.

In the island of Newfoundland these dogs are used much as we use horses, and are very valuable. With them duty is first. We often hear of one of these dogs carrying a basket of meat, a paper, or some other thing for his owner, and bearing any amount of annoyance from other dogs until he has delivered his charge safely; then he promptly goes back and punishes the offenders in such a way that they dare not interfere with him again.

These dogs are n.o.ble animals indeed. Their lives are devoted to man, though their devotion is not always appreciated as it should be.

Lord Byron writes:

"In life the firmest friend, The first to welcome, foremost to defend; Whose honest heart is still his master's own; Who labors, fights, lives, breathes for him alone.

The rich man's guardian, and the poor man's friend."

No wonder Sir Edwin Landseer loved to paint these n.o.ble animals. Their intelligent look and, better still, their brave and n.o.ble deeds render them almost human, lacking only the power of speech. It seems sometimes as if they really do talk, and the owners of such dogs declare that their actions prove that the dogs understand every word said to them.

Sir Edwin Landseer has painted another picture of a Newfoundland dog, called "A Member of the Royal Humane Society," which looks so much like this one that it might be the same dog.

=Questions to help the pupil understand the picture.= What kind of a dog is this? What has he done? What makes you think he and the little girl have been in the water? that there has not been a shipwreck? Why do you think the child had not been wading? How is she dressed? How do you suppose she happened to fall into the water? How could this dog save her? Where do you suppose the child's playmates and nurse are?

Where is the dog lying? Why does he not take the child to them? What makes you think he is tired? How are Newfoundland dogs sometimes trained in France? Tell about the washwoman and her baby. How was the baby rescued? Why could the mother not take the child? What did the boy do? What happened then? When were they released? How do Newfoundland dogs sometimes punish small dogs that annoy them? Why do they not drown? Tell about the two boatmen and their wager. Tell about the dog and the lady's parasol. What do these stories tell us about Newfoundland dogs? What other kind of dogs save many lives? What did the Newfoundland do at the dog pound? How do they sometimes resent abuse? Tell about the boatman and his dog. Upon what island are they used to carry burdens? Tell a story showing that duty comes first with these dogs. What other picture of this dog has Sir Edwin Landseer painted? Why do you think he was especially fond of Newfoundland dogs?

=To the Teacher:= Short stories of the bravery and faithfulness of dogs may take the place of other talks on kindness to animals.

SUBJECTS FOR COMPOSITIONS

A Description of a Newfoundland Dog.

How a Dog Saved a Child from Drowning.

The Smartest Dog I Ever Saw.

The Bravest Dog I Ever Heard of.

A Description of a St. Bernard Dog.

How to Treat a Dog.

Why We Should Be Kind to Dogs.

=The story of the artist.= When Edwin Landseer was a small boy he lived in the country. Nearly every day at breakfast the father would ask his boys, "What shall we draw to-day?" The three boys would take turns choosing and sometimes they would vote on it. Then out across the fields the father and his boys would tramp until they came to where the donkeys, sheep, goats, and cows were grazing. Each would choose the animal he wished to draw; then the four would sit down on the gra.s.s and make their sketches. Edwin's first choice for a subject was a cow, and his father helped him draw it.

When he was five years old he drew a picture of a dog asleep on the floor that was very much better than any his older brothers could do, and so even then they began to expect much from him.

At this time Edwin had three dogs of his own named Brutus, Vixen, and Boxer. They were always with him, and so intelligent they almost seemed to speak.

In their back yard the children had several pens for pet rabbits and they kept pigeons in the attic of their house. The story is told of how Mr. Landseer once decided to move, selected the house, and thought all was settled, when the landlord refused to rent the house to him because he kept so many animals and birds as pets.

We read of how the father and his sons made many visits to the Zoological Gardens where they could watch and make sketches of lions, bears, and other wild animals. One day they saw a strange sight in one of the store windows in London--a large Newfoundland dog caring for a lion. The lion had been caught in Africa when it was very little and had been cared for by this dog. They had never been separated. Now, although the lion was much larger than the dog, they were still the best of friends.

Sometimes the dog would punish the lion if it did not behave, and the great beast would whimper just as if it could not help itself. All three boys made many sketches of this strange pair and could hardly be persuaded to leave the window.

Every one knew of Sir Edwin Landseer and wanted some one of his pictures of dogs because it looked so much like a dog they knew.

In the story of the picture "Highland Shepherd's Chief Mourner," are further particulars of the life of Sir Edwin Landseer.

=Questions about the artist.= What other picture have we studied by this artist? Tell about Sir Edwin Landseer's boyhood. How did the brothers decide where to go to sketch? How old was Edwin when he drew a very good picture of a dog? What was the dog doing? Tell about Edwin's dogs; the other pets. Why did the landlord refuse to rent Edwin's father a house? Tell about the Newfoundland dog and the lion.

What else can you tell about the artist's life?

[Ill.u.s.tration]

PILGRIM EXILES

=Questions to arouse interest.= Describe this picture. Where are these people? Who are they? Who were the Pilgrims? Where are they looking?

Why do you think they may be homesick or sad? What time of day do you think it is? (Notice the shadows.) What time of year does it seem to be? How is the man dressed? the two women? What relation do you think these people are to each other? Upon what is the older woman sitting?

What can you see in the distant background?

=Artist:= George Henry Boughton (bo''t[.o]n).

=Birthplace:= Norwich, England.

=Dates:= Born, 1833; died, 1905.

=The story of the picture.= We all know how, long ago, that st.u.r.dy band of one hundred and two Puritans left England in the small and storm-beaten ship called the _Mayflower_. They were called Puritans because they were dissatisfied with the religion of the Church of England, and demanded purification of all the old observances and doctrines.

When they began to establish in England separate churches of their own, they were driven from place to place. They longed for a land where they could worship G.o.d in their own way, so they came to America, determined to endure every danger and to trust in G.o.d to care for them. Their wanderings from place to place had given them a new name, "Pilgrim,"

which means "wanderer." Then, ever since their landing on the rock at Plymouth, they have been called Pilgrim Fathers.

There were many women and children in this band of wanderers. On the journey a little baby was born and was called Ocea.n.u.s after the great rolling ocean.

The Pilgrims endured many hardships in those first few years, and none more distressing than the frequent attacks by the Indians, who resented the strangers' presence in a land which belonged to them. The Pilgrims carried their guns with them even when they went to church, for they never knew just when they might be attacked.

They arrived in the fall of the year, too late to plant grain or to put by enough provisions for the winter, so they were quite dependent upon the provision boat from England. Often this boat was long delayed because of storms at sea, or because the people in England did not send it on time. This caused much suffering and distress.

In our picture we see three of the first settlers of our New England coast, waiting for the provision ship. The waves come rolling in to this rough and barren sh.o.r.e, but as far as the eye can see there is yet no sign of the awaited boat. On that point of land in the distance are a few rude houses which must be the homes of the Pilgrims. This dreary place, so bleak and barren, makes us wonder how they could ever hope to survive the perils of a winter there.

Our interest is centered upon the three figures at the right in the picture. One can almost read the thoughts expressed in the three faces. The figure of the man stands out strong and erect, and there is that in his fixed gaze which tells us his thoughts are far away. No doubt he is thinking of his old home across the ocean. He is homesick, yet go back he would not; there is no sign of discouragement. His wife, standing beside him, places her hand on his shoulder to comfort him, but she too looks as if she were thinking of that other home and the friends across the sea. Her gentle, refined face is saddened for the moment, yet in it we see expressed the fine courage which has carried her thus far along the way.

The mother, seated on the great rock, has the same thoughtful, far-away gaze. Her hands, clasped in her lap, have more of resignation and patience in them. Probably her thoughts and affections are centered in the two dear ones beside her, and in their welfare, rather than in the friends across the sea.

Notice the Puritan dress, cloaks, shoes, caps, and collars. These people are well dressed, and do not seem to be poor. Perhaps they are simply longing to hear from their friends, and hoping the ship will bring some news of them. It may be that it has been due for several days, and each day they have walked out to this same rocky point, hoping to see it on the distant horizon.

They are dressed in warm clothes. From that fact and from the half-bare branches of the bush that we see growing beside the rock in the foreground of the picture we should judge it to be the fall of the year.

Standing in the bright sunlight, they look anxiously out toward the rolling ocean. The length of the shadows makes us think it must be late in the afternoon.

When at last they catch a glimpse of the dark masts of the approaching ship they will send a glad shout along the sh.o.r.e, and soon the beach will be crowded with an anxious throng of people hoping for some message or news from home.