Oh, let me thank Thee; kind Thou art To children such as I; Give me a gentle, loving heart; Be Thou my Friend on high. Help me to please my parents dear, And do whate'er they tell; Bless all my friends, both far and near, And keep them safe and well. -Osgood 18 PERSEVERANCE Great works are performed, not by strength but by perseverance.-Samuel Johnson THE STORY OF SAMUEL JOHNSON WHEN Samuel Johnson was a little boy, his family was very poor, and his chances of obtaining an education were slight. His father was a bookseller, and as soon as little Samuel was old enough he would visit his father's shop and pore over the books on the shelves. Most boys would have learned little this way, but much that was dull to ordinary lads was interesting to Samuel. While he was thus picking up knowledge, his father's business declined, and the family was placed in hopeless poverty. Samuel studied several years at Oxford, but was too poor to finish his course. He was being sneered at for his ragged appearance. Fun was made of him because of the holes in his shoes. Then his father died, after which for a good many years Samuel's life was one hard struggle with poverty. He He opened a school, but this proved a failure. wasn't going to give up, however, and so began writing for magazines and doing other literary work for very small pay. Later he became famous as a writer. He prepared the first good dictionary of the English language that was ever written. One of his books is said to have been written in the evenings of a single week. Birthday: Samuel Johnson, a famous English writer, born in Lichfield, England, September 18, 1709; died in London, England, December 13, 1784. The heights by great men reached and kept But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward through the night. -Longfellow Read: "I Will Paint or Die," and "The Boy Who Said 'I Must,'" from Marden's Stories from Life; Bible, Prov. 10: 1-5. Sing: "Work and Play," from Kellogg's Best Primary Songs. PRESIDENT GRANT'S WAY A VERY important meeting was being held in the Capitol at Washington. A caller asked to see President Grant. Some one said to the servant who brought the message: "Tell the man that President Grant is not in.” "No," said the President, who heard the order, "tell him no such thing. I don't lie myself, and I don't wish any of my servants to lie for me." Read: "George Washington and His Hatchet," from Baldwin's Fifty Famous Stories; "The Honest Woodman," from Boston Collection of Kindergarten Stories. 21 WRONGING OTHERS Oh, many a shaft at random sent May soothe or wound a heart that's broken. -Scott AN INCIDENT IN SCOTT'S LIFE SIR WALTER SCOTT related the following incident of his own life to an intimate friend: There was a boy in his class at school, who always stood at the top, nor could the utmost efforts of young Scott displace him. At length he observed, when a question was asked this boy, he always fumbled with his fingers at a particular button on the lower part of his waistcoat; and the removal of this was, therefore, determined. The plot was executed, and succeeded too well. When the boy was again questioned, his fingers sought again for the button, but it could not be found. In his distress he looked down for it, but it was not to be seen. He stood confounded, and Scott took possession of his place, which the boy never recovered. The wrong thus done was, however, attended, as it always must be, with pain. "Often," said Scott, "in after life, the sight of him smote me." Heartily did he wish that this unkind act had never been done. Let it constantly be remembered, that we are not left to act as we please;—the rule is of the highest authority: Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.' 66 Birthdays: Louis Joliet, a French traveler, one of the first to explore the Mississippi river, born in Quebec, Ontario, Canada, September 21, 1645; died in the year 1700. John Loudon Macadam, inventor of the roads called after him "macadamized roads," born in Ayr, Scotland, September 21, 1756; died at Moffat, Scotland, November 26, 1836. Sir Walter Scott, a famous Scottish novelist and poet, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, August 15, 1771; died at Abbotsford, Scotland, September 21, 1832. 22 POLITENESS Hearts, like doors, will ope with ease And don't forget that two are these: I thank you, sir, and If you please. 23 TRUE WORTH Traverse the desert, and ye can tell -Eliza Cook THE KING'S GARDEN ONCE there was a king who owned a beautiful flower garden. One evening he walked among his flowers, glad that they were so full of beauty. The next morning one of his servants told him that his garden had been destroyed in the night. The king hurried to the garden, and found the roses hanging their heads; the vines lying withered on the ground, and the trees quite leafless. Of one of the roses he asked: "Why is this?" The rose replied: "What is the use of blooming? A rose can live but a day or two at most." The king asked the same question of the vine. It answered: "It is so little that we can give. We had better give nothing." The tree said: "I am useless. I just stand here idle." Then at his feet the king saw a little pansy blooming beautifully. He asked why it was not fading too, and it replied, "King, you put me here, and I try to be just the best little flower I can. Then the king said: "O flowers, vine, and tree, if each one does his best, even though it be but little, what more can he do?" -Selected Sing: "Looks, Words and Deeds," from Kellogg's Best Primary Songs. Birthday: Eliza Cook, an English poet, born in London, England, about 1818; died at Thornton Hall, Wimbledon, England, September 23, 1889. 24 KINDNESS TO ANIMALS I will try to be kind to all harmless, living creatures, and to protect them from cruel usage. -Pledge of Band of Mercy LINCOLN'S KINDNESS TO BIRDS THE following incident is related by one who knew Lincoln, and who, at the time of the incident, was his fellowtraveler. We passed through a thicket of wild plum and crabapple trees, and stopped to water our horses. One of the party came up alone, and we inquired, "Where is Lincoln?" "Oh," he replied, "when I saw him last, he had caught two young birds which the wind had blown out of their nest, and he was hunting for the nest that he might put them back in it." In a short time Lincoln came up, having found the nest and restored the birds. The party laughed at his care of the young birds; but Lincoln said, "I could not have slept if I had not restored those little birds to their mother." Read: "Androclus and the Lion," from Baldwin's Fifty Famous Stories Retold. Sing: "The Bird with a Broken Wing," from Uncle Sam's School Songs. Birthdays: Antoine Louis Barye, a famous sculptor, celebrated for his animal sculptures, born in Paris, France, September 24, 1795; died in Paris, June 25, 1875. |