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.
(Illustrate 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.