There was once a girl named Ruth, who was in many respects very
well-behaved indeed. For instance, you would never hear her reply to her
mother without saying "Yes, mother," or "No, mother," and she never
banged the door or came into a room noisily, but she had =one= fault
that was really very bad.
As Ruth went on her way to school each day, she passed a house that had
its dining-room window facing the street. The window was rather low, and
every time that Ruth went by she would walk slowly, and stare into the
room all the time. If the people were at dinner it made no
difference--she still gazed in. You will think this exceedingly rude, as
indeed it was, but it is quite true nevertheless.
One day a lady came to the school that Ruth attended; she was driven
there in her carriage, and remained talking to the teacher after the
children had been dismissed. Presently she said, "Good afternoon," and
left, and the teacher, happening to glance out of the window, was vexed
to see that a number of the scholars had gathered round the carriage,
and were staring in, and staring at the lady as she took her seat. Next
day the children were told how rude this was, and we hope that Ruth
learnt at the same time how rude it is to stare into people's houses.
Another day some Japanese ladies came to the school to see the children
drill; they were dressed so differently from English people, and looked
so funny with their little slanting eyes, and their shiny, black hair
dressed high, with no bonnet to cover it, that the children were tempted
to stare again, but the teacher had told them that it would be rude to
stare at the ladies. "You may glance at them," said she, "but do not
keep your eyes fixed on them." It is natural to wish to look at curious
things, but we can be careful to take our eyes away when we have
glanced, so that we do not stare, and make the person uncomfortable, for
you remember we said that anything was rude which caused people to be
uncomfortable (p. 110).
There was a little boy in church who had just the same rude habit as
Ruth. He would sit or stand at the end of the pew, and turn his head
round to see what was passing behind. He did not take just a little
glance, and then turn his eyes back again--even that would have been
rude--but he kept his gaze fixed behind for ever so long.
Do you know =why= we do not look about in church? It is because we go
there to worship the Great God, to hear of Him, and think about Him, and
we cannot do this if we are looking about, and thinking of other things.
Why do we close our eyes when we pray? It is so that we may think of
what we are saying; if we kept them open, we should be thinking of what
we were =seeing= instead, should we not?
(Blackboard.)
It is Rude to Stare.