Story Lessons on Character-Building (Morals) and Manners Part 8

"A horse was drawing a cart along a narrow lane in Scotland when it spied a little child playing in the middle of the road. What do you think the kind, gentle horse did? It took hold of the little child's clothes with its teeth, lifted it up, and laid it gently on the bank at the side of the road, and then it turned its head to see that the cart had not hurt the child in pa.s.sing. Did not the horse behave like a gentleman?"

I have seen boys and girls helping the little ones to dress in the cloakroom at school, or leading them carefully down the steps, or carrying the babies over rough places; =this= is gentleness, and the gentle boy will grow up to be a gentle man.

42. The Overturned Fruit Stall.

You have seen boys playing the game of "Paper Chase," or, as it is sometimes called, "Hare and Hounds". One or two boys start first, each carrying a bag full of small pieces of paper, which they scatter as they run. Then all the other boys start, and follow the track made by the scattered paper.

A number of boys were starting for a "Paper Chase" one Sat.u.r.day afternoon, and, pa.s.sing quickly round a corner of the street, some of them ran against a little fruit stall and overturned it. The apples, pears and plums were all rolling on the ground, and the old woman who belonged to the stall looked at them in dismay. The boys all ran on except one, and he stayed behind to help to put the stall right, and to gather up all the fruit. That boy was =gentle= and kind, and the poor old woman could not thank him enough.

Be =gentle= to the little ones, Be =gentle= to the old, Be =gentle= to the lame, to =all=-- For it is true, I'm told, That =gentleness= is better far Than riches, wealth or gold.

FOOTNOTE:

[10] _Heads Without Hands._

XVII. ON BEING GRATEFUL.

43. Rose and her Birthday Present.

A little girl called Rose had a kind auntie who sent her half a sovereign for a birthday present. Rose was delighted with the money, and was always talking of the many nice things it would buy, but she never thought of writing and =thanking= her auntie. That was not grateful, was it? When we =receive= anything, we should always think =at once= of the giver, and express our thanks without delay. That is why we say "grace"

before eating: we wish to thank our kind Father above for giving us the nice food to eat.

The days went by, and still auntie received no word of thanks from her little niece. Then a letter came asking, "Has Rosy had my letter with the present?" Rose answered this, and said she =had= received the letter, and sent many thanks for the present. But how ashamed she must have felt that she had not written before! It is not nice to have to =ask= people for their thanks or grat.i.tude; it ought to be given freely without asking.

44. The Boy who was Grateful.

Little Vernon's father had a tricycle, and one day he fixed up a seat in front for his little boy, and took him for a nice, long ride.

Vernon sat facing his father, and he was so delighted with the ride, and so grateful to his kind father for bringing him, that he could not help putting his arms round his father's neck sometimes, and giving him a kiss as they went along. Vernon's father told me this himself, and I was glad to know that the little boy possessed this precious gift of grat.i.tude, for it is a lovely "stone" to have in the Temple we are building.

(Blackboard.)

Do not forget to be Grateful for Kindness; and do not forget to Show it.

XVIII. SELF-HELP.

45. The Crow and the Pitcher.

Perhaps you have heard the fable of the crow who was thirsty. He found a pitcher with a little water in it, but he could not get at the water, for the neck of the jug was narrow.

Did he leave the water and say, "It is of no use to try"? No; he set to work, and found a way out of the difficulty. The crow dropped pebbles into the jug, one by one, and these made the water rise until he could reach it.

(Ill.u.s.trate by a tumbler with a few tablespoonfuls of water in it. Drop in some pebbles, and show how the water rises as the pebbles take its place.) If you have a steep hill to climb, or a hard lesson to learn, do not sit down and cry, and think you cannot do it, but be determined that, like the crow, you will master the difficulty. When you were a little, tiny child, your father carried you over the rough places, but as you grow older, you walk over them yourself. You do not want to be carried now, for you are not helpless any longer. But I am afraid there are some children who =like= to be helpless, and to let mother do everything for them. I once knew a girl of ten who could not tie her own bootlaces; =she= was helpless. And I knew a little fellow of six who, when his mother was sick, could put on the kettle, and make her a cup of tea; he was a =helpful= boy.

It is brave and nice of boys and girls to help themselves all they can, and not to be beaten by a little difficulty. Remember the Sparrow and the Rag (Story Lesson 30), as well as the Crow, and

(Blackboard)

Do not be Helpless, but Master Difficulty as the Crow did.

XIX. CONTENT.

46. Harold and the Blind Man.

Do you know what it is to be contented? It is just the opposite of being dissatisfied and unhappy.

Little Harold was looking forward to a day in the glen on the morrow, but when the morning came it was wet and cold, and the journey had to be put off. Harold had lots of toys to play with, but he would not touch any of them; he just stood with his face against the window-pane, discontented and unhappy.

After a time he saw an old man with a stick coming up the street, and a little dog was walking beside him. As they drew nearer, Harold saw that the old man held the dog by a string, and that it was leading him, for he was blind. The discontented little boy began to wonder what it must be like to be blind, and he shut his eyes very tight to try it. How dark it was! he could see nothing. How dreadful to be =always= in darkness! Then he opened his eyes again, and looked at the old man's face; it was a peaceful, pleasant face. The old man did not look discontented and unhappy, and yet it was far worse to be blind than to be disappointed of a picnic. Harold had yet to learn that it is not =outside= things that give content, but something within. He could not help being disappointed at the wet day, but he could have made the best of it and played with his toys, as indeed he did after seeing the blind man.

(Blackboard.)

Be Content and make the Best of Things.

XX. TIDINESS.

47. The Slovenly Boy.

Of =all= the untidy children you ever saw Leo must have been the worst.

His hair was unbrushed, his boots were uncleaned, and the laces were always trailing on the floor. Why did he not learn to tie a bow? (For full instructions, with ill.u.s.trations, on the "Tying of a bow," see _Games Without Music_.) It must be very uncomfortable to have one's boots all loose about the ankles, besides looking so untidy.

Can you guess how his stockings were? They were all in folds round his legs, instead of being drawn and held up tight, and he had always a b.u.t.ton off somewhere. The worst of it was that Leo did not seem to =mind= being untidy. I hope =you= are not like that. Do all the little girls love to have smooth, clean pinafores? and do the boys like to have a clean collar and smooth hair? and do all of you keep your hands and faces clean? Then you are like the children in these verses.

1. The Tidy Boy:--

A tidy boy would not be seen With rough or rumpled hair, Nor come to meals with unwashed hands And face; and he will care To have his collar clean and white, And boots must polished be and bright.

2. The Tidy Girl:--

And what about the tidy girl?