it to start the boys and girls to thinking of the worthiness of doing
the humble things in life, and of the respect due those whose place
may be more lowly than theirs. True worth is the measure of our value
in the world, whether our work be great or little.
~~The Talk.~~
"This morning I am going to tell you 'The Story of a Hat,'--and this
is the hat. [Draw only the hat, A, completing Fig. 100. This is the
same drawing as that of the lower right-hand corner of Fig. 101,
before the face is added.] I don't wonder that you smile. It's a
seedy-looking old hat, isn't it? It looks as if it ought to be burned
up or else dumped in the ash barrel; but, before we do that, let us
hear the story.
[Illustration: Fig. 100]
"Once upon a time Mr. Brown, a college president, was passing a
clothing store when he saw, displayed in the window, a hat like this.
[Draw only the hat as in B.] Mr. Brown went into the store and tried
on the hat. It fitted him, and when he came out he looked like this in
his new four-dollar hat. [Add the head of Mr. Brown, completing B.]
Everybody respected the college president and was polite to him.
After a while Mr. Brown's wife told him that his hat was getting just
a little bit shabby--perhaps just a little bit out of style, too. And
so the college president gave the hat away to a poor but respectable
preacher, Mr. Green, and this is the way Mr. Green looked in the hat.
[Draw C complete.] Mr. Green was not a 'D.D.,' by any means, but he
was a good man who was made to suit and fit a certain class of people
who could not have understood the big words of a 'D. D.' Well,
Mr. Green wore the hat for a while, and then he gave it to the janitor
of his church, a man named Mr. Blue. The janitor wore it for a while,
until it looked about like this: [Draw D, complete.] You will notice
that it was somewhat indented by this time, but it was all right for
Mr. Blue and he was glad to get it. There was a man in the town by the
name of Mr. White, who had a job cleaning the streets. He was a friend
of Mr. Blue, and the janitor gave him the hat. This is the way
Mr. White looked in it: [Draw the face under the hat, A; this
completes Fig. 101.] Mr. White had a little cart and a big shovel and
an old broom, and he worked all day sweeping up and carting off the
old paper, the stubs of cigars and everything else which, if allowed
to accumulate, would soon make the streets look disgraceful and the
town unhealthful.
[Illustration: Fig. 101]
"And so, we see, this poor old hat had done good service for four
different kinds of men. Remember this--that every man who wore the hat
was a useful man in his place. Each one was a necessary man. We must
have him. Especially is this true of the man who kept the streets
clean, for he, just like the man who collects and takes away the
garbage, helps to keep away the scourge of typhoid fever, and cholera
and other dread diseases, by being willing to do the dirty work and to
wear the old hat. Why, just suppose everybody was a college
president. Who would wash our clothes? Who would scrub our floors? Who
would clean our streets? Who would cart away our garbage?
"Now, don't you see that the street cleaner and the 'garbage
gentleman' are far more useful than any wealthy man's son who doesn't
do a lick of work, who rides around in an automobile at his father's
expense and who spends his time at night in wasteful or sinful ways so
that he gets to bed at one or two o'clock in the morning and sleeps
until nine or ten o'clock the next day? Why, bless your soul, the
street cleaner and the 'garbage gentleman' are worth a dozen
good-for-nothings like that!
"Then why look down upon the poor man--the laboring man? Why not be
just as polite and respectful to him as to the college president? God
made them both, and each is filling his place in life. Each man whose
picture we have drawn belonged to a different class of people, just as
God designed they should, and each, if he did his duty in life, had
just as important a place in the community as the other.
"Abraham Lincoln said that 'God must think more of the common people
than He did of any other kind, because He made so many more of them.'
"Surely, all this is reason enough for the best of us to be kind and
considerate, respectful and polite toward people whose hats would not
suit us at all!"
OUR COUNTRY'S FLAG
--Flag Day
--Patriotism
A Little of its History and of its Meaning--Some Interesting
Facts.
THE LESSON--That loyalty to the flag means the fulfillment of duty
to God and to our fellowmen.~~
"Flag Day" suggests a patriotic demonstration, and this talk will
harmonize well with your decorations and the other features of your
program. The talk calls for the drawing of four flags. It is suggested
that you prepare in advance of the talk all four flags of Fig. 102, as
the drawing may require more time than you can spare during the talk.
~~The Talk.~~
"We have about us today some of the flags of the United States of the
present time. I believe you will be interested, though, in seeing some
of the flags of our country of earlier days. I will present them to
you.
"Before the Revolutionary war was begun, and at the time of the
beginning of the trouble, some of the colonies had flags of their own,
and some of them were very curious indeed. However, when General
George Washington took command of the troops at the beginning of the
war it was decided to adopt one flag for all the united colonies, and
so a committee was chosen and a flag like this was designed: [Indicate
flag "a."] These two crosses represented the crosses of St. George
and St. Andrew, and the thirteen stripes represented the thirteen
colonies. You see, they patterned the crosses after the British flag,
because there was no certainty at that time that the colonists would
break away from England. This is the flag that was raised over the
camp of Washington at Cambridge, January 2, 1776.
[Illustration: Fig. 102]
"But in 1777, after the colonies had proclaimed the Declaration of
Independence, congress ordered that the flag of the thirteen United
States be composed of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, and
that thirteen white stars in a field of blue be substituted for the
crosses. It was also decided to add one star and one stripe as each
new state was admitted. Congress, then in session in Philadelphia,
named George Washington, Robert Morris and Colonel Ross to call upon a
widow who had been making flags for the government and ask her to make
this first real American flag. And this is the flag that Betsy Ross
made: [Indicate flag "b."] It is said that Betsy Ross suggested that
the stars be five-pointed, as she could fold her cloth so as to make a
five-pointed star with one clip of her scissors. Can you make a
five-pointed star with one clip? Betsy could! [Note: The writer has
seen the simple process described in a sketch of Betsy Ross; it is too
long for repetition here, but a demonstration of the method would be
an interesting innovation.]
"Well, this flag was carried throughout the remainder of the
Revolution, and it was present at the surrender of Burgoyne and the
fall of Yorktown. But when Vermont and Kentucky were admitted as
states, the flag was changed, so there were fifteen stars and fifteen
stripes, like this: [Indicate flag "c."]
"This flag waved throughout the war of 1812. It was this flag that
Francis Scott Key saw 'through the dawn's early light,' and which
inspired him to write 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'
"It was not until 1818 that congress saw that a mistake had been made
and that it would be necessary to confine the number of stripes to the
original number, thirteen, though we have continued to add a star for
each new state. This is the flag of today: [Indicate flag "d."]
"As we look upon this flag, our hearts grow warm with love for our
country. We honor it and the memory of those who brought it into being
and who died to preserve it for us. I know of no better closing
picture than this, which indicates the true spirit of the patriots who
died beneath its folds upon the fields of battle--a picture which
speaks to us of Him who said, 'Greater love hath no man than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends.' [With heavy black put in
the outline of the cross; fill in with orange, completing Fig. 103.]
[Illustration: Fig. 103]
"Boys and girls, what does the flag stand for? _Loyalty to
country_. What does the cross stand for? _Loyalty to Christ_.
Which is the more important? You are not asked to answer--only to
_think_. Being loyal to Christ makes people truly loyal to
country; but, alas, there are many who profane His name while they
pretend to be loyal to their country. It cannot be done."
THE LITTLE ONES
--Cradle Roll Day
--Teaching
A Word of Appreciation to the Parents on the Occasion of Cradle
Roll Day.
THE LESSON--That the proper early home training of children for
Christ will save future heartaches and anguish.
It is well to make of Cradle Roll Day an occasion of profit and
inspiration to the parents of the little ones. Perhaps you don't get a
chance to speak to them very often. Your words to them on this
occasion, when a day has been set aside for the special consideration
of the children in whom their hearts and hopes are centered, will best
serve their purpose if they are directed to make the parents feel sure
that you, also, are deeply interested in their little ones.
~~The Talk.~~
"We are delighted today to see so many of our little Cradle Roll boys
and girls--and we are just as pleased to look into the faces of their
fathers and mothers. Why? Well, just because we want these parents to
know that we love their children and that we are grateful to them for
coming with them today to observe this happy time together.
"We want these fathers and mothers to know that while we are trying to
teach the way of unselfishness and love to these older boys and girls,
and while we are waiting for the time to come when these little
visitors of today will be old enough to be with us regularly, we are
convinced that the home training for seven days in the week is higher
and more lasting than an hour of teaching in the Sunday school under
the best of teachers. So it is with joy that we know that these
parents are beginning with the babyhood of their children to tell them
of Him who blessed the little ones and said, 'of such is the kingdom
of heaven.' We are glad we may look forward to the time when we, in
the Sunday school, may also have a part in this training.
"Let us hear a little story this morning: Once upon a time a young
lad, while idly spending his time in a grove surrounding his eastern
home, carved with his knife in the bark of a young birch tree three
words which his mother had taught him to say. [As you continue the
narrative, draw the small tree and merely indicate the words and the
heart next referred to, completing Fig. 104.] The first word had three
letters, the second had two letters and the third four letters. And
around them he drew a little heart, as his mother had taught him to
do. And when he had finished it, he ran away to his play and forgot
all about it.
[Illustration: Fig. 104]
"Years afterward, when he had grown to young manhood, he returned to
the home which he had not seen for a long time. As he went once more
to the grove, he came upon a birch tree and stopped to look at some
words carved upon its bark, with a heart drawn about them. Memory
carried him back to the days of his childhood--it was the same tree,
grown big and strong, and with it the heart had grown large and the
words were there strong and plain. They could not be removed without
greatly marring the tree. Here are the heart and the words: [Add lines
to revise Fig. 104 to Fig. 105.] As he looked upon the words, they
thrilled him with tender emotions as he remembered that it was his
mother who had taught him this beautiful sentiment. 'If I had written
there an unkind word,' he reflected, 'that, too, would have been as
permanent and lasting.'
[Illustration: Fig. 105]
"And now for the application: We are told that some fathers and
mothers, through a false idea of what is of lasting good to their
children, permit them, in their inexperience, to learn to do things in
a way which will mean sorrow and anguish in the end. Of course, I
understand that this could not ever happen to any of these fathers and
mothers and these children! The application is for those who aren't
here! If the boy rebels against school, he will bless, in later years,
the hand which made his attendance compulsory. If he can see no harm
in the use of unkind or offensive words, but is compelled by a loving
parent to turn his mind and his speech to lofty things, he will later
bless that one who saved him from his error. If, in the years when he
has grown through babyhood and childhood to youth, a strong, but
gentle, hand bars for him the way which leads to evil companions and
bad habits, he will praise and bless that restraining hand when the
years of discretion show him how close was his step to the brink of a
fatal precipice.
"With the same hand which bars the way to wrong must the parent write
the words, 'God is Love,' on the heart of each little one. The clear,
pure truth cannot be told too often. In after years, as memory brings
these children back to your loving arms, back to their little downy
beds, they will be comforted with the realization that the words have
become so deep-seated that nothing can eradicate them, even after
death has closed their eyelids.
"Some one has described the eyes of a child as 'clear wells of
undefiled thought,' and God forbid that as their eyes are lifted to
ours, full of innocence and confidence, we should give them anything
but the purest, most helpful truth as Christ reveals it to us. We
pledge ourselves earnestly to do this."
THE BURNED BOOK
--Patience
--Adversity
How Thomas Carlyle's Work of Many Years Was Destroyed in a Few
Seconds.
THE LESSON--That there is such a thing as success through patience,
and that the Christian should so live that he may rejoice in his
tribulations.
One of the crying needs of every-day life is the cultivation of
patience. Modern life, with its hustle and bustle, and the
ever-present contest for supremacy in its commercial and social
phases, displays a growing unrest and nervousness. Patience is a rare
quality which should be treasured and nurtured.
~~The Talk.~~
"Paul once wrote a letter to the church at Rome in which he said, 'We
glory in tribulations, also, knowing that tribulation worketh
patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope
maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts."
"But we're not all like Paul. If we had been saying it, we might have
put it this way: 'We despair that we have tribulation, knowing that
tribulations work impatience, and impatience discouragement, and
discouragement makes us feel sure that God doesn't care for us.'
Nevertheless, just the opposite is true, for we know that 'whom the
Lord loveth He chasteneth.'
"Everybody has trouble. It comes to all of us in many forms. Ofttimes
it is a blessing in disguise. If it were not so, we would not find so
many of God's people afflicted in the ways which the Scriptures
describe. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph and all of the great
leaders of the New Testament, as well as of the Old, had their deep
troubles and sorrows. And it is so today with God's people.
"Patience is a virtue of which the poets sing. 'How poor are they,'
says Shakespeare, 'that have not patience! What wound did ever heal
but by degrees?' And Milton said:
"'Patience is more oft the exercise
Of saints, the trial of their fortitude.'
"So, let us try always to understand, in the midst of seeming great
trouble, that sorrow and trial have their place in our lives. Whether
they are for good or for bad depends largely upon ourselves.
"I want to tell you the tragedy of a book--a great book. We all know
of Thomas Carlyle's great work, 'The French Revolution.' Of this
wonderful production it has been said that 'It is a history of the
French Revolution and the poetry of it, both in one; and, on the
whole, no work of greater genius, either historical or poetical, has
been produced in England.' I wonder if we have all heard of the
tragedy of this great book and the sorrow which came to its author?
"One day, after Mr. Carlyle had finished the manuscript of the first
volume of the work, completing the labors of months and years, and
when he felt at last the relief which had tied his hands and his mind
through this long period, he loaned the work to his close friend, John
Stuart Mill. Before Mr. Mill had finished reading the manuscript, and
as it lay scattered about his study, his servant girl, thinking the
pages were nothing but waste paper, gathered them up and stuffed them
into her kitchen fire! Thus was the labor of weary, toilsome years
destroyed in a few moments. On his discovering the awful state of
affairs, it was Mr. Mill's duty to go to Mr. Carlyle's home and break
the news to him. Mr. Carlyle tells of the interview in these words:
'How well do I remember that night when he came to tell Mrs. Carlyle
and me, pale as Hector's ghost, that my unfortunate first volume was
burned. It was like a half sentence of death to both of us. We had to
pretend to take it lightly, so dismal and ghastly was its horror!'
"If the description of the scene were to end here, I am sure that some
of us would see only the darkest, gloomiest side. Let us make a sketch
to illustrate this condition. [Draw Fig. 106 complete.] But the
description does not stop here. Carlyle goes on to tell how, with the
sympathy of his wife, he began anew the great task, and, although it
was, as he says, a 'job' that nearly broke his heart, the result was a
work superior in every way to his original effort, and he lived to
rejoice in what he once considered to be a disastrous misfortune. He
received ample reward for his overmastering patience!
[Illustration: Fig. 106]
"'If thou faint in the day of adversity,' says the Psalmist, 'thy
strength is small.' Remember this: _Every shadow has a light behind
it!_ It is toward that light that the discouraged one must turn his
face. Look up, not down! [Add lines to complete Fig. 107; the hair
covers the face of Fig. 106.] No man ever saw the highest success who
'looked down his nose' when trial came. Look up--like the man in the
picture!"
[Illustration: Fig. 107]
THE MAN WHO FINALLY HEARD
--Kind Words
--The Tongue
The Restoration of His Hearing Brought to Him Pain as Well as
Pleasure.
THE LESSON--That we should guard well our tongues against speaking
careless, useless or vulgar words.
This illustration is based on the actual experience of an Indiana
man. It contains a lesson of such great importance that a chapter of
one of the strongest moral epistles of the New Testament is devoted to
it. The speaker would do well to study carefully the third chapter of
the Epistle of James as a foundation for the preparation of the talk.
~~The Talk.~~
[Before beginning the talk, draw the picture of the man, completing
Fig. 108.]
[Illustration: Fig. 108]
"The face I have here drawn represents the portrait of a certain
business man living in an Indiana town. Ever since the time of an
illness in childhood this man had been almost totally deaf. For years
he tried in vain to secure the aid which would restore to him his
hearing, and during all the period of his boyhood and young manhood he
could hear only those words which were spoken very distinctly, close
to his ear. Sometimes he could hear the thunder and other loud, sharp
sounds.
[Illustration: Fig. 109]
"Then, one day, came a great change! All at once he could hear almost
perfectly. What a great time it was! Once more he heard the songs of
the birds as he remembered them when he was a child; the voices of the
members of his family and the voices of his friends, new and strange,
came to him! What had brought the change? It was merely a new
invention, by which a disc containing a diaphragm was placed over his
ear. This diaphragm gathered the sound waves, just as the natural
ear-drum was intended to do. The disc fitted over his ear, like this:
[Add the disc and attachment, as in Fig. 109.] Was he happy? Of
course he was--but soon it was noticed by those about him that his
gladness seemed to fade away from his face and a kind of sadness took
its place. [Add the lines about eye and mouth, completing Fig. 109.]
What was the matter? Some one asked him the question. And this was his
answer--listen to it: 'I never knew, during those years when I could
not hear the sound of people's voices, that those about me were so
unkind to each other!'
"'Unkind?'
"'Yes,' said he; 'ever since my hearing was restored I have been
surprised and pained and shocked to hear the careless words--the
harmful words--which people speak concerning even those they love. I
have thought about it a good deal and have made up my mind that the
people do not speak these words because they always mean what they
say, but because they have grown into the habit of saying unkind
things. And the profanity! And the vulgarity! It is dreadful to listen
to the language used by many men, and even boys, in their ordinary
conversation!'
"The man had spoken a sad, sad truth. How careless we are! Even the
best of us speak too many thoughtless, unkind words--words which may
affect the entire after life of the one who is the subject of their
utterance. And how many there are all about us who blaspheme the name
of their Maker!
"All of us are familiar with the words of Shakespeare, who, in
'Othello,' causes Iago to say that 'he that filches from me my good
name robs me of that which not enriches him and makes me poor,
indeed.' Our slighting word may rob some one of his good name and
leave him poor, indeed; while the kind word which rises to our lips,
but remains unspoken, may retard the progress of the person of whom we
might have spoken it.
"'Be not rash with thy mouth,' says the writer of Ecclesiastes; 'let
thy words be few.'
"'Behold also the ships,' says the Epistle of James, 'which, though
they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned
about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even
so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold
how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a
world of iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, that it
defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and
it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts and of birds and
of serpents and of things in the sea is tamed, and hath been tamed of
mankind; but the tongue can no man tame.'
"Let us, friends, watch this unruly member. Profanity and vulgarity
bespeak a vile mind. We trust that our trouble is not so serious as
this; but we still have the unkind word, the hotly-spoken word, to
watch and to avoid.
"Boys, watch your thoughts and words. Do you know, I would rather see
a boy with jam smeared all over his cheeks than to hear a 'smutty'
remark from his lips? Yes--the jam wouldn't hurt him a bit, but the
smut can't be washed off. You all want clean hands and a clean
face. It is still more important to have a clean mind and clean
speech."
FLYING
--Perseverance
--Courage
The Aeroplane Illustrates the Necessity of Going Forward
Constantly.
THE LESSON--That a life, if it is to progress, must not falter at
difficulties, but push steadily forward.
This illustration is especially appropriate for occasions which
interest the juniors and their elders, for the reason that anything
which teaches perseverance and steadfastness in the right can be heard
with profit at any time.
~~The Talk.~~
[Because of the details in the drawing of the aeroplane, it may be
well to finish Fig. 110, complete, before beginning the talk. In
opening, refer to the aeroplane in such a manner as will fit your
locality. For instance, if the aeroplane is a common sight, say, "We
have all been interested in seeing the aeroplane glide through the
air," etc., while, if it has not yet made its appearance in your
locality, you may refer to the fact that all have seen pictures of the
modern invention. The talk assumes that the aeroplane has not yet
visited your neighborhood.]
"Every one of us is interested in flying. Ever since God created man,
man has been trying to learn how to fly, but always, until of recent
years, he has suffered the sad fate of 'Darius Green and His Flying
Machine.' For many centuries man has been impatient because he has had
to stay down on earth or else go up in a clumsy balloon, which is not
a flying machine at all! But, at last, he has made for himself a
machine which he calls the aeroplane and the tedious problem has been
solved quite satisfactorily, so that we now hear a great deal about
monoplanes and biplanes, all of which are classed under the general
heading of aeroplanes. I will draw the outlines of one of these flying
machines.
[Illustration: Fig. 110]
[If you have drawn the picture, Fig. 110, in advance, merely indicate
the parts as you proceed; otherwise, point them out as you finish each
part of the machine.]
"This style of machine is known as the biplane, or two-plane. This
upper part is one of the planes, and this lower part is the other.
This part out in front is that portion of the steering apparatus which
enables the aviator to guide the machine up or down, and this part at
the back is to govern the side-to-side movements. When the machine
stands on the ground it rests on these three little wheels, which are
like bicycle wheels. Here sits the aviator, and directly back of him
is the powerful little engine which sets the propeller whirling at the
rear. The machine makes a noise like a swift-running motor boat or a
motorcycle. It starts off on its wheels and rapidly increases its
speed until it rises from the ground and sails away gracefully into
the upper air. [Your drawing of Fig. 110 should now be complete.]
"As you look at this machine, remember that it is not at all like a
balloon. The bag of a balloon, filled with gas, is lighter than the
air; hence, it stays up without any trouble, unless the bag breaks and
lets the gas out. But the aeroplane has no gas bag; it is heavier than
the air and it must '_keep a-goin'_' in order to stay up at
all. Remember this: _Just as soon as the aeroplane stops, it comes
crashing to the earth_, like so many have done, bringing death and
destruction.
[Quickly detach your drawing paper from your board, turn it one-fourth
around and re-attach it with thumb tacks. With broad strokes of black
crayon indicate the foreground. Add lines of mountains, completing
Fig. 111.]
[Illustration: Fig. 111]
"You boys know how it is when you are riding a bicycle. Your wheel
will stay upright as long as you are pushing ahead, but as soon as you
stop the wheel topples over.
"Sometimes the aeroplane engine fails to work, sometimes a wire or rod
breaks, sometimes the aviator attempts to do some fancy flying which
throws the machine out of balance, sometimes the wind prevents the
machine from going on in its course. Any of these things may cause the
machine to stop going forward and come dashing downward.
"You, boys--and you, girls--and we older men and women, are just like
the aeroplane in one great particular. In the Christian life, in our
work, in our study, in our efforts to do good, we can never hope to
succeed and progress if we let anything stop us in the way. How truly
does all this apply to the Sunday School. The stand-still boy and the
stand-still girl never get anywhere. The stand-still Sunday School is
'a dead one.' Life in Sunday School means movement, forward and
upward. If the flying machine stops, it comes crashing to the
earth. If the Sunday School stops, you will also 'hear something
drop.' And the same thing is true of us as Christians. Praying and
psalm singing are not enough. Backsliding begins when Christians stop
working--stop going forward. If we would _grow_, we must _go_!
And '_keep a-goin'_!"
THE PLUM TREE
--Mothers' Day
--Training
The Responsibility of Motherhood--A Lesson From the Tree
Nursery.
THE LESSON--That constant training and cultivation are necessary to
the attainment of excellence in plant life; so, also, the quality of
the child depends upon the home training.
Mothers' Day, usually observed on the second Sunday in May, is
becoming valued more and more in the Sunday School as the years go
by. Miss Anna Jarvis, of Philadelphia, is said to have originated the
idea in her effort to commemorate the anniversary of the death of her
mother. She saw, in the wearing of a carnation on a selected day, a
silent and beautiful tribute to motherhood throughout the world. The
custom is usually followed by the wearing of a white carnation in
memory of the mother departed, while a colored flower is worn for the
mother living. The school decorations should be worked out in a manner
appropriate to the day and its significance. The present talk deals
specifically with the responsibility of motherhood.
~~The Talk.~~
"We have come today with our hearts filled with tender memories of the
mothers who have gone--memories as sweet as these beautiful flowers,
whose whiteness tells of their purity; whose form brings back the
thought of their beauty; whose fragrance tells again of their love,
and whose enduring qualities remind us of their faithfulness and
constancy.
"But today I want to speak especially of the mothers who are still
with us, those whose hair is tinged with silver, and especially of
those other younger mothers who are today the close companions of
their children.
"The carnation, as we see it today, was not always such a perfect
blossom--no, it is a development of the modest little old-fashioned
pink. Men everywhere are devoting their attention to the betterment of
things in the vegetable and animal world. We are constantly bringing
forth more splendid cattle and horses and sheep, through cultivation;
Luther Burbank and his followers are giving us each year more perfect
vegetables and fruits and flowers, through scientific cultivation.
Here, for example, we find in a northern state a plum tree bearing
fruit such as no other northern tree ever produced before. We ask the
nurseryman how it is possible to transplant this fruit from a warmer
zone to the region of rigorous Winters. He replies that this tree was
not brought from a warmer locality, but that it grew here from the
beginning. How, then, can it be made to produce such big, splendid
plums when no other tree in the neighborhood grows such luscious
fruit?
[Illustration: Fig. 112]
"Here is the explanation: The tree was found growing wild in the
woods. [Draw the branch of Fig. 112 in brown and the leaves in green.]
And there in the woods it produced only very small, sour
plums. [Complete Fig. 112 by drawing the plums in purple or a
combination of red and blue.] But with this hardy tree to work on, the
fruit experts, through grafting and cultivation, have caused it to
bring forth this large, luscious fruit. [With purple, or a combination
of red and blue, enlarge the plums, completing Fig. 113.] These men
knew what to do and they did it. If they hadn't done it, the tree,
worthless and neglected, would still bear little, sour plums instead
of big, sweet ones.
[Illustration: Fig. 113]
"Mothers, the nursery of your home is like the nursery where the fruit
experts do their wonderful work. God has placed in your keeping these
little ones. You are the expert whose business it is to see that as
they grow older they will not bear the small, sour fruit of wrong
living, but the large, sweet fruit of Christian service. What they are
to be depends upon _you_. The plum tree in the woods could not
grow better of itself. _It had to have help._ And yet, we find
mothers everywhere who seem to think that the child can develop into a
high type of manhood and womanhood if he is provided with a plenty to
eat and wear and with the public school and the Sunday school at his
disposal.
"Within the heart of each mother God has implanted a natural knowledge
of how to care for the child. To fail to apply this knowledge is to
fail to reach up to a parent's highest privilege.
"The Sunday school can do much, but we must remember that home was
God's first and holiest school. It is in the home that the child
receives his first and most lasting lessons. Let us not misjudge the
ability of the child to perceive the inconsistency, the insincerity,
of father and mother. Even though the parent be a teacher in the
Sunday school, her influence cannot be for the best if her everyday
life is wasted in society and unworthy amusements. The father's praise
of the Bible loses its gilt edge when the boy sees him bound up in the
Sunday paper for two hours, without ever finding time to read the
Scriptures.
"Let us all, therefore, look at this whole matter seriously. We may
each have a part in this training, this cultivating, this producing of
better minds, better hands and cleaner lives, but after all, mothers,
the great responsibility is yours, for it is into your hands that God
has placed the children, these innocent little ones who are a type of
heaven itself."
THE HOLLOW TREE
--Decision Day
--Honesty
A Figure of the Deceitful Life--The True Test of Character.
THE LESSON--That stability or weakness of character are revealed
when the supreme test comes.
This lesson from nature is planned to impress the truth that we must
be worthy "through and through" if we are to endure the test of
character which comes to every life.
~~The Talk.~~
"I want every one of you to stop looking at me and to take a good look
at the wood out of which the pew ahead of you is made. [If necessary,
revise the following sentences to meet your immediate conditions.]
You will notice that the pew is made up of a good many pieces of oak
fastened together so nicely that you can hardly tell where they are
joined. And so it is with all this other furniture, and with the
tables and the chairs and the bookcases in your homes and everywhere
else. A great many fine trees must be cut down every day to furnish
the wood from which all the things are made. The furniture
manufacturers buy the wood in the form of heavy lumber. The companies
which sell this lumber to the furniture factories send their expert
tree buyers into the forests to pick out the trees which will make the
best lumber. These tree experts go into the forests and select the
trees that they want, and leave all the others standing.
"One day a tree buyer, after examining an oak grove, told the owner
that he would pay him a certain amount of money for a specified number
of trees, and at the same time he pointed out the trees which he
wanted.
"'But,' said the owner of the forest, 'you have overlooked one of the
nicest-looking trees of them all. Don't you want this one?' [Draw
outlines of tree, Fig. 114.]
[Illustration: Fig. 114]
"'No,' replied the buyer, 'I can't use that tree. It is no good for
our purpose.'
"'No good!' exclaimed the owner, 'why that tree looks to me to be a
good deal better than some that you selected.'
"But the buyer was an expert and knew what he was talking about. To
show the owner what was the trouble with it, he cut the tree down, and
this is what they found: [Remove the paper from the drawing board;
turn it one-fourth around, and reattach to the board; add lines to
complete Fig. 115.]
[Illustration: Fig. 115]
"What was the matter with the tree? Yes, it was hollow. The owner was
a much-surprised man. The expert, by tapping the tree with the blunt
side of his ax, could tell that the tree was not solid. We might call
it a deceitful tree because it seemed to be better than it really was.
"Sometimes we hear of deceitful men and women--deceitful boys and
girls. None of us wants to be called deceitful, for the world has no
more use for a deceitful person than this man had for a hollow
tree. Some may think that they may deceive their friends and everyone
else around them, but they get found out sooner or later, and, worst
of all, their lives are an open book to the Lord, who sees and knows
their every thought. The hollow tree in the forest is certain to come
crashing to the earth when a severe storm breaks. The deceitful man or
woman suffers a like fate when something happens to reveal their
hollow lives to the world.
"On this Decision day, let us resolve anew to make our lives of solid
worth through and through. We can do it only by coming close to the
Master and learning from Him how to live.
"The trouble with the tree in the forest was that it was not sound.
It lacked _inside strength_. Even a slight tap of the ax proved
that it was a sort of 'hollow mockery.' It was a good-looking tree on
the outside, but its heart was not right. And isn't that exactly the
case with a lot of good-looking, well-dressed people? Why, even a boy
or a girl can be all wrong at the heart, though their faces and hands
and clothes are clean and beautiful.
"Have you ever stopped to think what good eyes God has? He never needs
a telescope or a microscope, for 'the eyes of the Lord are in every
place, beholding the evil and the good.' God never beholds evil where
there is none, but no boy or girl, man or woman, can hide it so well
in their hearts but that God sees it and knows it.
"Let us, therefore, on this Decision day, resolve never to let deceit
come into our hearts, to make our lives hollow, but to be sound in
character through and through."
TWO MEN
--Ideals
--Error
Know Your Man Before You Trust and Follow Him--Our Ideals.
THE LESSON--That we cannot safely choose an example of true living
from among those about us, without knowing their real character.
The accompanying illustration is offered for occasions in which
children--especially boys--above the primary age are interested.
~~The Talk.~~
"There are a good many boys and girls who make a great mistake in
trying to imitate older people; and there are a good many older people
who make a great mistake when they try blindly to make a success of
things just because other people have been successful in doing
them. It is a splendid thing to want to have in our lives the same
great governing principles which rule the lives of people who stand
before us as splendid models of character; but it is not always a good
thing to try to do the very same things that these people do. Why?
Because it is likely that we are not cut out to do their kind of work.
The Lord may have intended that we should follow an entirely different
line of effort. Let us, therefore, cultivate in our own lives the
great and true principles which we find in other people, but let us
also try to find out what the Lord wants us to do, and then let us
learn to do it just the very best we can."
"'Blessed is he,' says Thomas Carlyle, 'who has found his work; let
him ask no other blessing.' The surest way to find what our life work
is to be is to '_do the common things uncommonly well_.' If we do
this, our life-work will be pointed out to us clearly and plainly.
Therefore, in selecting our ideals in life, let us be careful how we
choose."
[Illustration: Fig. 116]
"A boy, whom we will call John, worked in a certain downtown
office. Two men used to pass the window of his place of employment
very frequently. These two men were never together--in fact, they were
not even acquainted with each other. Here is one of the men who passed
John's window. [Draw Fig. 116, complete.] He was evidently a laboring
man, as John judged from his clothing, which showed the effects of
hard work of a rather rough character. He carried a dinner
bucket. John merely noticed that this man passed and repassed his
window every day, but gave him very little thought. But there was
another man who did attract John's attention. Here he is: [Draw the
second man, completing Fig. 117.] This second man was always well
dressed, and he appeared to be a prominent business or professional
man. Everything in his appearance and manner attracted the admiration
of the boy. Without knowing it, John was selecting an ideal--he was
studying the people whom he saw and hoping to be unlike this one and
to be like that one.
[Illustration: Fig. 117]
"'Some day,' he said to himself, as the prosperous, well-dressed man
walked by, 'when I grow up, I hope I shall be just like him.' He had
chosen his ideal. The man was one of the leading merchants of the
city, and when John found this to be so, he was still more firmly
determined to pattern his life after the man whom he admired.
"A short time after this John's folks--his father, mother, brothers
and sisters--removed to another part of the city--and to the boy's
great surprise, he found that the merchant lived just a square away.
Incidentally, too, he found that the laboring man lived right next
door to his new home.
"And, right then and there, John learned one of the great lessons of
his life. What did he learn about the merchant? He learned that the
man, while he looked pleasant and kindly, was selfish and unkind. He
learned that the making and hoarding of money was his great object in
life. He learned that he cared but little for the comfort and welfare
of other people. He learned that the man's family was unhappy because
no home can be happy when selfishness and unkindness reign.
"What else did he learn? He learned that the laboring man who lived
next door was one of the finest men he ever knew. He learned that the
whole family was so kind and helpful that he soon forgot the merchant
and his fine clothes. He learned that the laboring man with his wife
had been willing to live humbly and work hard in order that their
children might be kept in school and then go to college. He learned
that all the children of the neighborhood liked to go to this man's
home where everybody seemed to have such a jolly good time. He found
that the Bible was opened every day while the Scriptures were read,
and that the dust never had a chance to gather on its covers.
"So one day, when John was looking out of the window of his place of
employment, and received a happy smile from his friend, the working
man, he said to himself, 'I've changed my mind. Clothes don't count
for everything. To be a good man depends upon what's _inside_,
and not what's on the outside. When I grow up, I want to be just as
good and kind as this man is.'
"Let us all be careful in choosing our examples of how to live. The
life of Christ is full of help to us, and the lives of many of His
true disciples all about us today give us a practical illustration of
the best way to live."
TREE SURGERY
--Rally Day
--Obstacles
Trees Need Skillful Surgery More Often Than People Do--Superfluous
Branches.
THE LESSON--That the life which wastes its strength in unnecessary
efforts cannot bring forth the best fruits.
That the boys and girls may realize the sad results of forming habits
which hinder growth, development and fruit-bearing, is one of the
great objects of the teaching of the Sunday school. Rally Day is an
especially appropriate time for a lesson along this line of thought.
~~The Talk.~~
"A stranger from the East was visiting a large fruit farm in the
celebrated Hood River Valley in Oregon. He was astonished at the size
and appearance of the growing apples, and he asked the owner of the
fruit farm to tell him the secret of such wonderful results.
"'There is no secret at all,' responded the fruit raiser. 'You see, if
a tree is allowed to do as it pleases, it usually covers itself with a
vast number of useless branches and a multitude of leaves, which are
of no benefit whatever except to make shade; and when a tree has too
many branches and too many leaves it requires so much strength to keep
them alive that there isn't enough left to put into the fruit. In
other words, the tree can't bear large, fine fruit if it must also
support a lot of useless branches and leaves.' This is the way an
apple tree will grow if it is allowed to have its own way. [With the
broad side of your green chalk, draw the general form of the tree,
Fig. 118; add the trunk and dead branches in brown, and draw the grass
with green, and the apples in red, completing Fig. 118.]
[Illustration: Fig. 118]
"'Such a tree can never bear good apples,' continued the fruit
man. 'Many of its branches die, because the tree simply can't support
so many limbs and leaves. Notice that all our trees are carefully
trimmed.' And he pointed the visitor to trees that looked like this:
[Draw the second tree, using the same colors as in Fig. 118,
completing Fig. 119.]
[Illustration: Fig. 119]
"'It is an absolute fact,' added the fruit man, 'that if we allow
these unnecessary leaves and branches to stay on the tree they absorb
the life and strength which must go into the fruit if we are to raise
fruit for which there is a market. So we cut off everything that can
be spared, and we get the best fruit that grows.'
"'Then it doesn't all depend upon the place where the fruit is grown?'
observed the visitor.
"'No,' laughed the fruit man. 'Many people think it does. Of course,
the soil and climate have a good deal to do with it, and we must
prepare the ground and keep it in the proper condition; we must also
keep the trees free from disease and insects. But all of this same
work has to be done, no matter where the apples are raised, and the
soil and climate in many other parts of the United States are just as
good as they are here. _It depends upon the know-how!_
"Ah, that's the secret! It depends upon the know-how!
"Boys and girls, on this Rally Day, let me ask you: Are you going to
let your life grow to be like this tree? [Indicate the first.] Or is
it to be like this one? [Indicate the second.] What do I mean? Here is
what I mean:
"If a girl lets her thoughts run too much to clothes and parties--if
she worries about her failure to do the things which other girls can
do, and which God never intended she also should do--if she is
spending her time reading books which can never be of any possible
good to her--if she is becoming fault-finding, cynical, cross,
selfish--if she is doing any of these things which keep her from being
what she ought to be--her everyday life _needs trimming_! Think
it over. If you find any useless, strength-absorbing thing in your
life, _cut it out_!
"Boys, are you letting any bad habits grow into your life? Are you
wasting your time running after pleasures and amusements that don't
help you to be better boys? Are you getting chummy with other boys
whose companionship is not good and whose words and deeds you would
not dare to talk about at home? Are you reading useless books and
letting the treasures of literature on mother's bookshelf at home go
untouched? Are you trying to find short-cuts to success, when there
isn't any such thing, and neglecting the hard work which has brought
honor and success to all who have reached a high place? If you are
doing any of these things, get out the pruning hook of good resolution
and the sharp ax of determination. Trim off all these useless
things. Gather them in a heap and burn them. Then, in the years to
come, will you find that you have been able to be of use to the world
and to yourself. But you can't do it with these useless,
strength-robbing things growing on your lives. Among the last words of
Jesus on earth were these: 'Herein is my Father glorified, that ye
bear much fruit.' If we are to bear much fruit, we must trim off the
useless things and allow the bright sunshine of His approval and
guidance to come into our lives."
THE PILGRIMS
--Thanksgiving Day
--Bravery
The Story of Their Steadfastness of Faith is an Inspiring Study for
Thanksgiving Day.
THE LESSON--That the blessings for which we are thankful today have
come through those whose faith was firmly grounded.
Thanksgiving Day should be one of mixed seriousness and smiles. This
chalk talk endeavors to meet this combination in its treatment of the
character of the Pilgrims and of the present-time observation of the
day which had its beginning in Plymouth colony.
~~The Talk.~~
"The thoughts of Christian people all over America should turn today
back to the twenty-second day of December, 1620, when that company of
noble men and women, after battling with the ocean waves for two
months, succeeded in getting ashore from their sturdy little boat, the
Mayflower, and set their feet upon the new land of America. The spot
where these Pilgrims landed is now a sacred one. We call it Plymouth
Rock, and there we may still see the rock on which they are said to
have stepped as they came ashore in their row-boats.
"Who were these people? And why did they come to America and start a
colony when there were no white people anywhere around; when savage
Indians would surely try to kill them; when they would have to labor
hard to get any food or clothing, and where they would have to live in
the wild country in huts which must be made from the logs which they
would cut out of the forest?
"The Pilgrims were people from England who loved God and wanted to do
His will. But there were other and more powerful people in England who
punished them and treated them shamefully because they did not choose
to do things which they knew would not please God. Finally, to get
away from their persecutors, they left England and went over to
Holland where they tried to live as they believed the Lord would have
them live. But there they found a rough, immoral lot of people--mostly
sailors and soldiers who had left the service of their country and
were leading reckless lives. For the good of their children, they
decided not to remain there. They then bade farewell to all that was
near and dear to them in the old country and started across the ocean
to America--the new land. After a voyage of two months, they reached
the bleak, rocky coast of Massachusetts, and they knew that if they
could come ashore safely, they could here worship God just as they
wished to do.
"We are glad that they kept a diary of what they did. When they asked
the London company to let them start a colony in America, they said,
'We verily believe that God is with us and will prosper us in our
endeavors. We are men who will not be easily discouraged.' That's the
kind of people they said they were--the women as well as the men--and
they proved it to be so. After they had signed the constitution which
was the foundation of the first democratic government in America,
while the Mayflower was standing in the harbor, the brave company of
one hundred and one disembarked from their little vessel and commenced
at once to chop down the trees needed to build homes and to provide
fuel, for it was in the dead of winter. Before the first winter had
ended, forty of their number had died from exposure, famine and
disease, but when the Mayflower started back on its return trip to
England, not one of the survivors would go with the ship's crew.
Here, then, on this bleak, forbidding New England coast these Pilgrims
set up the first model government. [Draw a little of the outline of
the New England states at the upper right-hand corner of Fig. 120.]
They had trouble with the Indians, but the Red Men soon came to
respect them, and peace continued for many years. Three years after
they had landed, Governor Bradford proclaimed a great feast--the feast
of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving! How dear the word has grown. 'Out of
small beginnings,' says Governor Bradford in his history of the
colony, 'great things have been produced by His hand that made all
things out of nothing; and, as one small candle will light a thousand,
so the light here kindled hath shone to many, yea, to our whole
nation.'
[Illustration: Fig. 120]
"And, today, this nation, the greatest nation on the earth, still
looks back to that first Thanksgiving Day. [Draw the remaining lines
to complete Fig. 120.]
"To us, it is a day of worship and feasting, and in both of these
features we are following the example of Governor Bradford, Elder
William Brewster, John Carver, Edward Winslow, Miles Standish and the
other brave men and women who formed that early company. We do not go
out into the woods for the wild turkey as they did. But we get the
turkey just the same. I have no doubt that your thoughts of
thanksgiving to God for his many blessings to us this year are already
mingling with thoughts of scenes like this: [Detach the map drawing
from the board, turn it over and re-attach it with thumb tacks. Change
the map into a steaming roast turkey by adding the lines to form the
wing, the "drumstick," the garnishment and the plate. Use black for
all but the garnishment. This completes Fig. 121].
[Illustration: Fig. 121]
OUR HANDS
--Visitors' Day
--Conduct
Actions Sometimes Speak Plainer Than Words--The Important Part
Which Our Hands Play.
THE LESSON--That we should watch carefully "the work of our
hands."
This chatty little talk about the hand may be given added force if the
speaker will, by the use of his own hands, illustrate the
characteristics and emotions as they are mentioned.
~~The Talk.~~
"Today, we shall talk a little about our hands--these most useful
'tools' that are fastened to the outer ends of our arms.
"Helen Keller, who has been deaf and blind ever since she was a little
child, tells us that her hands are a splendid substitute for eyes and
ears, and that their sensitive touch has revealed to her the beauties
and wonders of the world. In other words, she _has seen the world
with her hands_!
"Did you ever see a palmist read a hand? It is a very interesting
thing, although most of us haven't a great deal of confidence in the
revelations which the palmist finds there in the lines and the high
places and the low places. [Draw the hand and put in the lettering of
Fig. 122.] We laugh at the mistakes which the palmist makes, even
though we think seriously of the true things she speaks.
[Illustration: Fig. 122]
"But we don't need to go to the palmist to find out what is really in
our hands--to find out the real story they have to tell. Look at your
own hands a moment Let us see what we find there.
"Are your hands the kind that clasp other hands in warm friendship?
Are they hands which are busy every day doing good, honest work? Are
they hands that take food and clothing to the poor? Are they hands
that stroke the fevered brow? Are they hands that help to lighten the
burdens of other people? Are they hands that lift up the fallen one
and point him to Him who said, 'Come unto me all ye that labor and are
heavy laden?' Are they hands that help wherever and whenever they can?
_Think about it! Are they?_
"Or, are they hands that clench in anger? Are they hands that crush
heartlessly? Are they hands that drag downward? Are they hands that
pull backward? Are they hands that strike in cruelty? Are they hands
that slap insultingly? Are they hands that tear pitilessly? Are they
hands that grope into the dark places and do more harm than good?
_Think about it! Are they?_
"Or, are they hands that drop lazily? Are they hands that lie idly and
fold indolently? _Think about it! Are they?_
"In God's word, we find the hand mentioned more than a hundred
times. It appears constantly as an index of character. So, you see,
there is more than one way to determine character than by the
'reading' of the hand. Of the industrious, busy hand, Solomon says,
'The hand of the diligent shall bear rule, but the slothful shall be
under tribute.' And again of the lazy hand, he says, 'How long wilt
thou sleep? When wilt thou rise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep,
a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep.' What a
picture of laziness!
"But in no other place in the Bible do we find such striking
references to the hand as in the words of the Psalmist. [Insert the
letter "S" in Palmist, changing it to Psalmist.] Here is what the
Psalmist says: 'He that hath clean hands and a pure heart shall
receive the blessing of the Lord. Let the beauty of the Lord our God
be upon us and establish the work of our hands; yea, the work of our
hands, establish thou it." [Add the words, "The Work of Our Hands,
Establish Thou It."]
[Illustration: Fig. 123]
"This is a splendid prayer for all of us. To our visitors today, we
extend a warm hand, because you are as welcome as the flowers in
May. Ours is the 'right hand of fellowship,' as Paul calls it. Here we
have a plenty of work for many more hands to do--willing hands, busy
hands, loving hands. If yours are not busy doing a work of uplift and
helpfulness somewhere else, remember that we shall be glad to enlist
them in service here. The lines of E. A. Houseman, in his poem, 'A
Shropshire Lad' show most beautifully the thought which we should give
the work of our hands as the days bring new problems and
opportunities:
"'Hand,' said I, 'since now we part
From fields and men we know by heart,
For strangers' faces, strangers' lands,
Hand, you have held true fellows' hands;
Be clean, then!--rot, before you do
A thing they'd not believe of you!'"
HELEN KELLER
--Girl's Day
--Seeing
Her Wonderful Experience Furnishes an Inspiring Thought for Girls'
Day.
THE LESSON--That our physical eyes cannot reveal to us the precious
gifts of God; only our spiritual eyes can tell us of His loving
kindness.
Helen Keller's wondrous life is full of inspiration, and a study of it
will provide the conscientious teacher with many helpful thoughts.
The illustration is especially appropriate for Girls' Day.
~~The Talk.~~
"It happens very often that two people look at the same thing at the
same time, and each of the two sees something entirely different from
the other. Somebody has described the optimist as the man who sees the
doughnut, while the pessimist sees nothing but the hole. So, also, you
and I might see before us nothing but an unshapely block of marble,
while the sculptor would see the angel in the stone!
"All of this proves to us that what we see doesn't depend upon our
eyesight, but upon the mind which is back of the eyesight and which
receives the impressions not only through the eyes but through the
senses of hearing, tasting, smelling and feeling. In fact, our eyes
and our ears may be tightly closed--we may be totally deaf and
blind--and still we may be able to 'see' things more clearly than we
might with our eyesight and our hearing.
"We have all heard about Helen Keller, the deaf and blind girl. I will
draw an outline of her portrait. [Draw Fig. 124, with eye closed,
complete.]
[Illustration: Fig. 124]
"This young woman has been deprived of her eyesight and hearing ever
since she was a young child, and yet her ability to learn, to
comprehend, to understand, to really 'see,' is developed to such a
high degree that she is advanced far beyond most well-educated people
who possess all of their natural faculties.
"Helen Keller, now grown to womanhood, has written many wonderful
things. Here is one of them: 'It does not matter where we are, so long
as we have light in our hearts and make our dark ways ring with the
music of burdens cheerfully borne and tasks bravely filled. They say
life is a closed book to me. One critic doubted that I could feel the
sun, and I believe he thought others felt it for me. But if, indeed, I
had so little share as that in the life of others, it would still be
true that
"'The least flower with brimming cup may stand
And share its dewdrops with another near.'
"Truly, the eyes of Helen Keller are widely opened to the great truths
and wonderful beauties around her--[change lines of the eye slightly,
completing Fig. 125]--whereas, the eyes of many of us which are
supposed to be wide open, are indeed closed to many of God's
blessings. Many of us have eyes to _see_ with, but we use them
only to _look_ with. Helen Keller has seen more and done more
without eyes than thousands who have perfect eyes, but have never
learned to use them.
[Illustration: Fig. 125]
"Helen Keller should be an inspiration to every girl here today.
Learn from her life the great principles of true living.
"Let us first ask the question, 'How did she reach the high place to
which she has been able to attain?' She must have had help. Yes, she
did have help. It came chiefly through a dear friend, Miss Sullivan,
who, through patient years, sent the light into the darkness which
enveloped the poor deaf and blind girl. And listen:
"Never, during those years of patient endeavor, did Miss Sullivan
allow Helen Keller to receive a wrong impression of things about her.
"Stop a moment and think what all that means! Nothing came into the
life of the girl but clear, certain truth. The false, the unlovely,
the hideous, the deceitful, the unreal, never came in to distort her
view while she was a child, and so, when she later learned of the
sadder side of life, through her extensive reading, she was well
prepared to sympathize with those whose youth was not so well favored
as her own. Let us be careful in helping to shape the lives of the
children, never to leave with them a wrong impression which may
require a lifetime to remove from their minds.
"'It must be,' says Helen Keller, 'that when the Lord took from me one
faculty, He gave me another, which is in no way impossible. I think of
the beautiful Italian proverb, 'When God shuts a door, he opens a
window.'
"Truly, God has opened a window to let in the sunshine of His love and
care, and this blind girl is one of His brightest children.
"What an example to the world is Helen Keller! What an example to
every girl who has heard of her great success. Up with a monument to
her memory! Build it high and strong! She has shown the world how
difficulties can be overcome by determination and perseverance, and to
what rugged, lofty heights one may attain, even though he carry the
heaviest of burdens!"
THE STORY OF A KITE
--Conceit
--Vanity
A Fable Talk to Children About the Ambitious Flier Which Broke the
String.
THE LESSON--That sometimes the things which seem to be hindering us
and holding us down are the very things which we need to hold us up
and build us up.
In the days of our grandfathers and grandmothers, the children were
taught from the beginning to perform many household duties which the
children of today know nothing of. Whether it be a cause or an effect,
the truth of the matter is that the modern tendency is to get away
from the home influence and home responsibilities at a very early
age--to break loose from "mother's apron strings." The talk deals with
this phase of modern life.
~~The Talk.~~
~~(By Chas. D. Meigs.)~~
"I am going to draw you a picture this morning, and I am wondering
which one of you will be able to tell me first what it is a picture
of. I will go a little slow, so you can all follow every line and
think real hard what it is going to be! [Begin drawing Fig. 126, at
the lines indicating the distant foliage; then draw the tail, and
finally the kite frame and string.]
[Illustration: Fig. 126]
"No, no, no! It's not a wood pile! It's not a gridiron! No, it is not
a trap! Where's the boy who said 'kite?' He's the smartie, for he got
it right. Yes--it's a kite, and it was John's kite.
"One day the wind came up just right for the kite, so John got it out,
called to his chum, Harry, across the street, and said, 'Say, Harry,
come on--let's go out and fly the kite; the wind is just dandy today.'
"So, away the boys went, and before they reached the open lot three or
four other kids had fallen in line, and they went along to help have
the fun. 'Now, Harry, you take the kite and run out there towards that
old stump,' said John, 'and when I pull the string, you stop and hold
the kite up over your head as high as you can and when I say 'ready'
you let her go.' Away went Harry, and he held up the kite. [Let
speaker hold up a song book, high.] 'Are you ready?' 'Yes.' 'Well,
then, let her go.' And with that, along came a gust of wind which laid
hold of that kite and began to climb right up towards the sky with
it. Higher and higher it went till the kite which was really as tall
as the boy who owned it, didn't look much bigger than his hat But
Harry kept on letting out the string, till the hat looked like a bird
with a great long tail.' [Let speaker here shade his eyes with his
hand and peer and point steadily up towards the sky and occasionally
take a peep at the audience and see the boys and girls also looking up
through the roof at the kite. The writer has so caught them at it many
a time.] Then John looked down to see how much string he had left,
and he let out more and more, and when he looked up at the kite again
he didn't look at it at all--because he could not see it. It was out
of sight! But he knew it was up there all right for he _felt it
pull_!
"Now, I guess this kite story is a fable, because in fables kites can
talk as well as the boys who fly them. So when the kite got up so
high, the story says that it began to want to talk, and as there was
nobody up there to talk to, it began to talk to itself, and here is
what it said:
"'My! but ain't I high today? Never got so high in all my life
before. How beautiful the world looks below me! How beautiful the sky
looks above me! Dear me, I can't be so very far from the man in the
moon! I have often heard of him, but have never met him. Gee! I wish
that boy would let go of that string; if he would, I'd go up and shake
hands with the man in the moon and ask him how he is. I just hate to
be _held down_ all the time. I heard Harry say, the other day,
that he didn't went to be tied to his mother's apron string, and that
he'd like to be his own man.' Yes, and I'd like to be my own kite,
too, and then I'd show these boys where I'd go.' And the more the kite
thought of being 'held down,' the madder it got and finally it said,
'If that boy don't let go of that string, I'll _break it_--that's
what I'll do, and I'll go on up to the moon, now see if I don't!' And
with that, the kite gave a sudden jerk--and--_snap went the
string_!
"And what do you think, children--did the kite reach the man in the
moon? Not much it didn't!' It began to act crazy and silly and drunk
all at the same time! And it wobbled, and wobbled and stumbled and
tumbled and finally it fell in the dirt, battered and broken like
that! [Detach your drawing, reverse it and reattach it to the drawing
board; add the lines to complete Fig. 127.]
[Illustration: Fig. 127]
"Now boys, why did the kite fall, when the string broke? Because the
very same _string_ which had _held it down_ was the very same
_thing_ which _held it up_! And now listen--don't you boys
and girls get as silly as the kite was. Don't you jerk, and pull and
tug at your mother's apron string and try to break it, so you can be
'your own man' while you are nothing but a boy or a girl? If you break
that string too soon, you are liable to tumble in the dirt as the kite
did, and go all to pieces as it did; for--don't forget this--the
things which _hold you down_ to Sunday School, to Church, to
Young People's Meeting, to _School_ and to _work_, are the
things which hold you up and lift you up, and keep you up and build
you up into _strong_, hopeful, helpful, useful, happy men and
women. Don't forget what a fool the kite was, and what happened to it!
Go as high as you can in the world but _don't break the string_!"
A STRANGE OLD EPITAPH
--Narrowness
--Broadness
A Talk to Boys Concerning the Narrow Life and the Broad Life--A
Contrast.
THE LESSON--That it is all wrong to be satisfied to be a
Mr. Nobody. Do your best and be a Mr. Somebody.
The boy whose days in school and whose hours of serious thought in the
home have opened his eyes to future years of responsibility, will
drink in the sentiment of this talk and remember the lesson when he
reaches the twists and corners of life's pathway which lies before
him.
~~The Talk.~~
~~(By Chas. D. Meigs.)~~
"I am going to tell you today of a very _narrow man_. Suppose we
call him Mr. Slim Jim. Later on, I will tell you about Mr. Broadman,
and ask you which one you would rather be when you grow up.
[Illustration: Fig. 128]
"But first, we will turn our minds to a strange old graveyard over in
England, a burying ground where there are a good many old tomb-stones
like this: [Draw Fig. 128, complete]. If you were to walk among these
old gravestones, you would find one there which would make you laugh,
even though you were in a cemetery, because the epitaph, on it is the
funniest you ever saw or heard of. It says:
"'Here Lies the Body of
John Blank.
He Was Born a Man
But
_Died a Grocer_!'
[As you speak the words slowly, draw them on the tombstone, completing
Fig. 129.]
[Illustration: Fig. 129]
"Did you ever hear anything to beat that? Now, that isn't anything
against grocery men. A grocery man may be just as good a man as the
preacher himself--and just as respectable. We can't get along in this
world without groceries, and we just have to have men who will sell
them to us. Then what was the matter with John? Well, just this: His
business had swallowed him up! He had given it his whole time for
years, and he did nothing else. It was groceries, groceries,
groceries, and nothing but groceries. It was groceries on Monday,
groceries on Tuesday, groceries on Wednesday, groceries on Thursday,
groceries on Friday and groceries till eleven o'clock Saturday night,
and if John went to church Sunday morning, sat on the front seat, and
looked straight at the preacher all the time (so the preacher would
say to himself, 'John seems to be very much interested in the sermon
this morning, bless the Lord'). Ten to one John wasn't thinking of the
preacher or his sermon at all--just only of groceries--or some big
bill he had to buy or pay on the morrow.
"Now, if the epitaph had said, 'Here lies the body of John Blank; he
was born a man and died a banker,' it would have been just as bad.
Or, if he had died an undertaker, and buried himself, it would not
have been any better.
"Now, John, Harry, Willie, if you want to be a grocer when you grow
up, _be a grocer_ and a big one--a wholesale grocer if you wish,
and be a _good one_--the very best in town, if you can, but
say--don't let your grocery business _swallow you up_ till you
are _not good for anything else_ but to buy and sell groceries!
Be a _good grocer_, but be a _better, bigger MAN!!_
"Perhaps you would like to be a lawyer; very well, be a _lawyer_,
but see to it that you don't _die a lawyer_, and nothing but a
lawyer. Don't let your profession swallow you up, and be bigger than
you are yourself! Yes, be a lawyer, be a judge, if you will; the world
doesn't seem to be able to get along without them--some of them to get
people into trouble and others to get them out of it!
"Yes, but no matter how big and how good and just a judge you are, be
a bigger, better, juster MAN.
"Here is another example. We have had Mr. Slim Jim; now let us have
Mr. Broadman--broad-shouldered--broad-backed--broad-minded--big-hearted,
open-pursed MAN--born a man and died a MAN. [Write last seven words on
the blackboard.] Remember this: It is every man's duty to provide for
his family, but it is no man's duty to provide a _million_ for
them and provide nothing for those who are aged and sick and lame and
blind and poverty stricken, and helpless.
"That kind of charity which 'begins at home' and _stays there_ is
a shame and disgrace to its possessor. It is the kind Mr. Narrow
Minded Slim Jim dispenses!
"Every man owes some of his time, his talent and his money to the
town, the state, the nation to which he belongs! He gets their help
and protection when needed. Protection and aid perchance in time of
fire, flood or cyclone, and police protection as well. And now let me
close where I begin with the gravestone and the epitaph." [Here draw
picture of grave and gravestone with the epitaph, "Here Lies John
Blank, He Was Born a Man But Died a Grocer."] "Let us read together
once more this strange and curious epitaph, and make up our minds that
no one will ever have a chance to write such a sentiment on _our_
gravestones."
Read it in concert.