You will hear of a great king (in Story Lesson 90) who had a throne of
ivory overlaid with gold. When you are old enough to read the words he
wrote (Proverbs) you will find that he always kept his eyes wide open
and noticed things.
As the king was taking a walk one day, he passed by a vineyard, which
is another name for a grape-garden, and he noticed that the wall was
broken down. He looked farther, and saw that the vines were all trailing
on the ground, instead of being tied up, and worse still, they were all
grown over with nettles and thorns--the beautiful grape vines that give
such rich, delicious fruit. "How is this?" thought the king, and he
began to consider. "Ah!" said he, "this vineyard belongs to the man who
likes 'a little sleep,' 'a little slumber,' and who would rather fold
his hands and go to sleep again than use them to work in his garden. And
what will be the end of it all? He will soon be poor, and have nothing
to eat, while his lovely grapes which would have sold for money if he
had looked after them, lie there buried and spoilt by the nettles and
thorns."
It is quite right to sleep through the dark night, but this man slept in
the daytime as well, instead of weeding his garden, and tying up the
grapes, so we say he was a sluggard. What an ugly word it is! Would
=you= like to be a sluggard? No, indeed you would not. Then remember
this:--
(Blackboard)
Never be Lazy.