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MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
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 in 2011 with funding from 
 The Library of Congress 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/morningexercises01sind 
 
MORNING EXERCISES 
 
 FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 H 2>as Book for fteacbers 
 
 BY 
 
 JOSEPH C. SINDELAR 
 
 n 
 Author of Nixie Bunny in Manners-Land 
 
 Nixie Bunny in Workaday-Land 
 
 The Best Christmas Book 
 
 beckley-cardy company 
 
 CHICAGO 
 
Copyright, 1914, by 
 Joseph C. Sindelar 
 
 ALL BIGHTS RESERVED 
 
 oct -nai4 
 
 "- V . f 
 
 ©CI.A380762 
 
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 E>3ot5 
 $5* 
 
PREFACE 
 
 This book aims at a systematic and orderly presenta- 
 tion of the morning or opening exercise in the elementary 
 school. Material is provided for every day of the school 
 year, beginning with the first day in September and end- 
 ing with the last day in June. There are as many exercises 
 as there are days in the month, thus leaving the teacher 
 free to a choice of lesson each day. If she feels that the 
 psychological moment has arrived to consider a certain 
 topic with her school she need not necessarily follow the 
 subject outlined for that particular day. 
 
 It is the author's belief that the time has come for a 
 more earnest consideration of moral training and that the 
 teaching of morals can usually be accomplished more 
 effectively through an indirect method than by set lessons 
 or formal teaching. Character is largely a matter of habit 
 and too great emphasis cannot be placed upon the early 
 training in right attitude and right conduct. The choice 
 of subjects should be more or less incidental. When cer- 
 tain events occur in the life of the nation or society which 
 have ethical value, or when the birthdays of famous poets 
 or statesmen or those of national heroes revive the memory 
 of their virtues, the topic of the lesson is naturally de- 
 termined thereby. Through concrete examples presented 
 in story and verse the children learn to appreciate and ad- 
 mire nobility of character and deed and their best aspira- 
 tions are thus aroused. But it is better to allow the child 
 to make his own inference than to force the moral upon 
 him. 
 
 The arrangement of this book, it is believed, will be found 
 convenient and the plan novel. It is truly a day book for 
 the teacher, correlating as it does, memory work, narrative, 
 
6 PREFACE 
 
 songs and music, birthday and holiday commemorations and 
 those of the seasons, together with nature, literature, science 
 and art. 
 
 Five lines of thought have been kept constantly in mind. 
 First: The teaching of the common virtues through mem- 
 ory selections culled from the best in literature. There 
 can be nothing better than the learning of these golden 
 gems. Second: Through the story which is related to the 
 quotation and the daily topic. Third : Through biography, 
 using famous characters of history and literature to arouse 
 ideals, to kindle ambition, and to nourish a belief in one's 
 power to do something and to cultivate a sense of worth 
 and a feeling of self-respect. Fourth: Through the song, 
 which conforms daily to the thought of the lesson. Fifth : 
 Through the references which allow an enlarging upon the 
 subject in hand. These consist of songs, additional stories 
 and poems, Bible readings, birthdays and special days. It 
 is well to speak of the birthday of an author or other noted 
 person on the day before its occurrence and ask the pupils 
 to be able to tell something of interest in regard to the 
 person the next morning. In the case of an author pupils 
 should be asked to bring in to be read or recited one or more 
 selections from his works. In that of an artist, show repro- 
 ductions of some of his paintings. In that of a musician 
 have one or more of his compositions played or sung. 
 
 J. C. S. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Preface 5 
 
 September ........ 9 
 
 October 31 
 
 November ........ 59 
 
 December 81 
 
 January 103 
 
 February 127 
 
 March 151 
 
 April 173 
 
 May 195 
 
 June .217 
 
 Index . . . ... . . .239 
 
 List of Reference Books 252 
 
MORNING EXERCISES FOR 
 ALL THE YEAR 
 
 SEPTEMBER 
 
 1 LABOE DAY 
 
 [Labor Day is the first Monday in September and is 
 a legal holiday in nearly every state of the Union.] 
 
 Work for some good, be it ever so slowly; 
 Cherish some flower, be it ever so lowly; 
 Labor, all labor is noble and holy. 
 
 — Mrs. F. 8. Osgood 
 
 LABOR DAY: ITS ORIGIN AND OBSERVANCE 
 
 Labor Day owes its origin to several causes. Perhaps 
 the earliest of these was the formation of labor societies, 
 such as the Knights of Labor, which was founded in Phila- 
 delphia in 1869. At one of the meetings of this society 
 in New York City in 1882, a suggestion was offered that one 
 day of the year be set aside when laborers or workingmen 
 should not labor, but might go out and show that labor in 
 this country is free and dignified. Later, some of the states 
 passed laws making Labor Day a holiday, because the legis- 
 lators wished to show their sympathy with the working 
 class, many of whom could not afford to miss a day's pay 
 by taking a vacation, and so a day was set apart when they 
 could legally enjoy themselves and not lose their wages. 
 In other states it was adopted for political reasons, the 
 leaders hoping thus to secure the good will and the votes 
 of the workingmen for whom they obtained the holiday. 
 
10 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 The idea has been growing in favor since the first Labor 
 Day, in 1888, when Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey 
 and New York observed the day as a legal holiday. In 
 1894 Congress passed an act making the first Monday in 
 September a legal public holiday, or "national holiday." 
 This law is a recognition by the national government of 
 the importance and significance of the new holiday, which 
 had already been made a legal holiday in twenty-seven 
 states and one territory. 
 
 Read: "Labor is Worship,' ' by Frances S. Osgood; 
 "The Man with the Hoe," by Edwin Markham; "Bur- 
 den of Labor" and "The Village Blacksmith," by Henry 
 W. Longfellow ; " The Song of the Shirt, ' ' by Thomas Hood ; 
 Bible, Matt. 25:14-30. 
 
 Sing: "Labor Day," from Songs in Season. 
 
 Birthday: Mrs. Lydia H. Sigourney, an American 
 author, born in Norwich, Conn., September 1, 1791 ; died in 
 Hartfoid, Conn., June 10, 1865. 
 
 2 THE CHILDKEN'S POET 
 
 I look in the brook and see a face, 
 
 Heigh-ho, but the years go by! 
 The rushes are dead in the old-time place, 
 
 And the willows I knew when a child was I. 
 And the brook it seemeth to me to say, 
 As ever it stealeth on its way, 
 Solemnly now and not in play: 
 "Oh, come with me 
 To the slumberous sea 
 That is gray with the peace of the evening sky!" 
 Heigh-ho, but the years go by, 
 I would to God that a child were I! 
 
 — Eugene Field 
 
 THE STORY OF EUGENE FIELD 
 
 To-day is the birthday of one of the best friends that 
 children ever had. Eugene Field was a little Western boy 
 who lived with his aunt, his mother having died when he 
 
SEPTEMBER H 
 
 was but seven years old. His father did not live with him, 
 but they corresponded regularly, so that Eugene learned 
 early to express his thoughts in writing. He was of a 
 rollicking, joyous disposition, and so made many friends 
 at school. Later he went to college and studied law as his 
 father had done. But law did not appeal to his poetic tem- 
 perament and he soon gave that up so that he might devote 
 all his time to writing. 
 
 He loved little children and would lay aside his work at 
 any time to play with them, tell them stories, or sing them 
 beautiful lullabies. He used to buy all sorts of queer toys, 
 playthings, and sugar plums for his own little children and 
 for little strangers with whom he always made friends. 
 He knew that these are the things that children love best 
 and we find his verses full of them. Mr. Field also loved 
 flowers, beautiful pictures and animals. He always had 
 pets about him and these he cared for himself with the 
 greatest tenderness. He was devoted to his wife and home, 
 and could never bear to be away from them for very long 
 at a time. He had the most precious memory of his 
 mother, and it often made him feel sad to think that she 
 had so early in life been taken away from him. "I have 
 a thousandfold more than my deserts," he would say, "yet, 
 if my mother had but lived to feel a little, just a little, 
 proud of her boy. ' ' 
 
 Read: "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod," the most perfect 
 child poem ever written; ''Little Boy Blue," "The Sugar- 
 Plum Tree," "The Duel," "Sleepy Song." Chutter's 
 Art-Literature Third Reader contains many stories and 
 poems in the section devoted to Eugene Field. 
 
 Sing: Any of Field's beautiful lyrics set to music as 
 found in Songs of Childhood. 
 
 Birthday: Eugene Field, "the children's poet," born in 
 St. Louis, Mo., September 2, 1850; died in Chicago, 111., 
 November 4, 1895. 
 
12 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 3 WOEZ 
 
 Let Labor, then lool? up and see 
 
 His craft no pith of honor lacks; 
 The soldier's rifle yet shall be 
 
 Less honored than the woodman's axe. 
 
 KINGS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT 
 
 The kings of the past have sat on thrones and made others 
 serve them. The kings of the future will be those who do 
 the world's work and serve others best. We honor the 
 man who works with his hands and conquers the earth. 
 His hands may be coarse, his body bent, but if his work 
 is honest, he is king as much as any man. We also honor 
 the man who works with his brain. He who works hon- 
 estly and well with his hands, blesses the world; he who 
 works honestly and well with his brain, and gives to the 
 world a good book, a noble picture, an inspiring song, labors 
 to leave a blessing in the mind of another that will live 
 when the things built with the hand alone have fallen to 
 pieces. 
 
 Read: "The Sailor Man," from The Pig Brother, by 
 Laura E. Richards; "For a' That," by Robert Burns; 
 "Workingman's Song," by Charles Mackay; Bible, Prov. 
 6:6-11. 
 
 Sing: "Work, for the Night is Coming," from Uncle 
 Sam's School Songs. 
 
 4 PERSEVERANCE 
 
 There are as many pleasant things, 
 
 As many pleasant tones, 
 For those who dwell by cottage hearths 
 
 As those who sit on thrones. 
 
 — Phoebe Cary 
 
 THE STORY OF PHOEBE CARY 
 
 Phcebe Caey was born in a low and small brown house, 
 which stood on an old-fashioned country homestead or 
 
SEPTEMBER 13 
 
 farm. Her mother died when Phoebe was a little girl, and 
 as her father was poor, neither she nor her sister Alice 
 could attend school very much. But they studied and read 
 a great deal at home. As they had no lamps in the houses 
 then, and her father couldn't afford candles, the two girls 
 made a lamp by using a saucer with a rag in it for a wick, 
 and by this strange light they would read and write until 
 late into the night. When Phoebe was fourteen she began 
 to compose verses, and at seventeen she was able to write 
 quite well. She and her sister lived together all their lives 
 and cared much for each other. The last twenty years of 
 their lives were spent at their home in New York City, but 
 they never forgot "the good old-fashioned homestead" 
 where they were born. They both died the same year, 
 in 1871. 
 
 Read: "Nobody's Child," "Our Homestead," "Sup- 
 pose" and "Now," by Phoebe Cary; Mary Clemmer's 
 Memorial of Alice and Phoebe Cary, and Whittier's "The 
 Singer." 
 
 Sing : ' ' Nearer Home " ( a hymn by Phoebe Cary) , found 
 in almost any hymn book. 
 
 Birthday: Phoebe Cary, an American poet, born near 
 Cincinnati, Ohio, September 4, 1824; died in Newport, 
 R. I., July 31, 1871. 
 
 5 PATIENCE 
 
 Just a little every day; 
 
 That's the way 
 Children learn to read and write, 
 Bit by bit and mite by mite, 
 
 Never any one, I say, 
 Leaps to knowledge and its power. 
 Slowly, slowly — hour by hour — 
 
 That's the way; 
 
 Just a little every day. 
 
 — Ella Wheeler Wilcox 
 
14 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 6 PATRIOTISM 
 
 The moment I heard of America, I loved her; the 
 moment I knew she was fighting for freedom, I burnt 
 with a desire of bleeding for her; and the moment I 
 shall be able to serve her at any time or in any part 
 of the world, will be the happiest one of my life. 
 
 — Lafayette 
 
 AMERICA'S DEBT TO LAFAYETTE 
 
 America owes a great deal to this gallant young French- 
 man 1 who crossed the seas to aid the colonies. He was 
 among the first of those foreigners who showed the colonists 
 that the love of liberty was as wide as the world. He 
 came when hope was low, and his coming meant much to 
 the brave men who had to undergo the long, discouraging 
 winter at Valley Forge, and the days when it seemed as 
 though time would prove them only rebels and not patriots. 
 He brought ships, and men, and money to aid in the great 
 cause, but more than all these were his own magnetic 
 personality and the buoyant spirit that refused to be cast 
 down. — Historic Boyhoods 
 
 Read: "Lafayette, the Boy of Versailles, ' ' from His- 
 toric Boyhoods, by Holland; Story of Lafayette, by Mar- 
 garet J. Codd. 
 
 Sing: "Hail! Columbia," from American School Songs. 
 
 Birthday: Marquis de Lafayette, born in Auvergne, 
 France, September 6, 1757; died in Paris, France, May 
 20, 1834. 
 
 7 CHARITY 
 
 This world is not so bad a world 
 
 As some would like to make it; 
 Though whether good or whether bad, 
 
 Depends on how we take it. 
 
 — M. W. Beck 
 
 iHe was but twenty years old then, having set sail for America 
 April 20, 1777, in a boat happily named La Victoire. 
 
SEPTEMBER 15 
 
 THE DOVE AND THE WOODPECKER 
 
 A dove and a woodpecker had been visiting a peacock. 
 ''How did you like our host?" asked the woodpecker, after 
 their visit. "Is he not very disagreeable! His vanity, 
 shapeless feet, and his harsh voice are unbearable. Don't 
 you think so?" "Indeed I had no time," said the gentle 
 dove, "to notice these things; I was so occupied with the 
 beauty of his head, the gorgeousness of his colors, and the 
 majesty of his train." 
 
 Sing: "Life is What We Make It," from Merry 
 Melodies. 
 
 8 AUTUMN 
 
 Summer's a step behind us, 
 
 And Autumn's a thought before, 
 
 And each fleet, sweet day that we meet on the way- 
 Is an angel at the door. 
 
 Read: "The Anxious Leaf," from Household Stories, 
 by Klingensmith. 
 "Autumn Leaves," from Songs in Season. 
 
 Sing: "Autumn," from American School Songs, or 
 
 Birthdays: Ludovieo Ariosto, a famous Italian poet, 
 born at Reggio, Italy, September 8, 1474; died in Ferrara, 
 Italy, June 6, 1533. 
 
 Antonin Dvorak, a noted musician, born in Miihlhausen, 
 Bohemia, September 8, 1841 ; died in Prague, Bohemia, 
 May 1, 1904. 
 
 9 HABITS 
 
 How shall I a habit break? 
 As you did that habit make. 
 As we builded stone by stone, 
 We must toil unhelped, alone, 
 'Till the wall is overthrown. 
 
 —O'Reilly 
 
16 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 THE FORMING OF HABITS 
 
 How are habits formed ? When we repeat an act many 
 times, we finally do it easily without thinking, and it 
 becomes a habit. In time we find it difficult to do that 
 thing in a different way, or to leave off doing it. Walking 
 is a habit. So are sitting and standing in a certain way. 
 There are two kinds of habits : good habits and bad habits. 
 One's habits make up one's character. What are some of 
 the good habits? Cleanliness, politeness, obedience, cheer- 
 fulness, good will, self-control, industry, courage, generos- 
 ity, honesty, respect.) Bad habits? (Swearing, gossiping, 
 drinking, smoking, etc.) Have you ever watched a monkey 
 imitate the actions of a person? Have you ever "caught" 
 the habits of another person, as biting the nails, talking 
 or laughing loudly, shuffling or dragging the feet, squint- 
 ing? Good habits make gentlemen and ladies of us. They 
 also make many friends for us. Habits make or ruin our 
 lives. Therefore, too great stress cannot be laid on the 
 early forming of good habits. 
 
 10 HABITS 
 
 [Continued] 
 
 All habits gather by unseen degrees 
 
 As brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas. 
 
 — Dryden 
 
 HABIT 
 
 There was once a horse that used to pull around a sweep 
 which lifted dirt from the depths of the earth. He was 
 kept at the business for nearly twenty years, until he 
 became old, blind and too stiff in the joints for further use. 
 So he was turned into a pasture, or left to crop the grass 
 without any one to disturb or bother him. But the funny 
 thing about the old horse was that every morning after 
 grazing awhile he would start on a tramp, going round 
 
SEPTEMBER 17 
 
 and round in a circle, just as he had been accustomed to 
 do for so many years. He would keep it up for hours, and 
 people often stopped to look and wonder what had got into 
 the head of the venerable animal to make him walk around 
 in such a solemn way when there was no earthly need of 
 it. But it was the force of habit. And the boy who forms 
 bad or good habits in his youth will be led by them when 
 he becomes old, and will be miserable or happy accordingly. 
 
 — The Evangelist 
 
 Sing: "Be Careful What You Sow," from American 
 School Songs. 
 
 11 CONTENTMENT 
 
 Why sigh you for jewels ? There's plenty, I ween, 
 For out on the currant-bush rubies I've seen. 
 There are emeralds hid in each glistening leaf, 
 And topazes rare in the wheat's golden sheaf; 
 There are pearls on the snow-berry bush, little lass, 
 And diamonds hid in the dew on the grass. 
 Then search in the garden, in morn's early dew; 
 Go gather your jewels, God made them for you. 
 
 — A Little Maid's Jewels 
 
 Read: "The Discontented Pine Tree," from Household 
 Stories, by Klingensmith ; "The Country Mouse and the 
 Town Mouse," from Scudder's Fables and Folk Stories; 
 "Cornelia's. Jewels," from Baldwin's Fifty Famous Sto- 
 ries Retold. 
 
 12 TRUE WORTH 
 
 A great nation is made only by worthy citizens. 
 — Charles Dudley Warner 
 
 ROOM AT THE TOP 
 
 It is related of Mr. Webster that, when a young lawyer 
 suggested to him that the profession to which he had 
 devoted himself was overcrowded, the great man replied, 
 "Young man, there is always room enough at the top." 
 
18 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Never was a wiser or more suggestive word said. There 
 undoubtedly is always room enough where excellency lives. 
 
 — Josiah G. Holland 
 
 Read: "He Aimed High and Hit the Mark" and 
 " There is Room Enough at the Top," from Marden's 
 Stories from Life. 
 
 Sing: "Learn a Little Every Day," from Merry 
 Melodies. 
 
 Birthdays : Richard J. Gatling, the inventor of the Gat- 
 ling gun, which is used in the United States army, born in 
 Hertford Co., N. C, September 12, 1818 ; died in New York 
 City, February 26, 1903. 
 
 Charles Dudley Warner, an American writer, born in 
 Plainfield, Mass., September 12, 1829; died October 20, 
 1900. 
 
 13 SEPTEMBER DAYS 
 
 September days are here, 
 
 With summer's best of weather 
 
 And autumn's best of cheer. 
 
 — Helen Hunt Jackson 
 
 Sing: " September Days," from Hanson's Gems of 
 Song. 
 
 14 OBEDIENCE 
 
 If you're told to do a thing, 
 
 And mean to do it really, 
 Never let it be by halves; 
 
 Do it fully, freely. 
 
 — Phoebe Cary 
 
 THE GIRL IN THE BROOK 
 
 One day Mary and her mother crossed the little stream 
 that came from the pond. The stones and sand were white 
 and smooth. 
 
SEPTEMBER 19 
 
 ' ' May I play in the water, Mother ? ' ' asked Mary. ' ' Yes, 
 if you turn your dress up so that it will not get wet," 
 said her mother. 
 
 By and by there was a noise like thunder. It seemed 
 to come from the pond. 
 
 ''Quick, Mary, come here," cried her mother. Mary 
 did not stop to ask why. She ran to the place where her 
 mother stood. Then she looked back. The stream was 
 pouring over the rocks. The great water-gate by the dam 
 was open. If Mary had waited she would have been car- 
 ried down the stream into the river. There is not always 
 time to ask why. — N. Y. Teachers' Monographs 
 
 Read: "Raggylug," as adapted from Ernest Thompson 
 Seton 's Wild Animals I Have Known, in How to Tell Sto- 
 ries to Children, by Sara Cone Bryant ; Bible, Prov. 4 : 1-5. 
 
 Sing: "Duty and Inclination," from Uncle Sam's 
 School Songs. 
 
 Birthday: Charles Dana Gibson, an American artist, 
 born in Roxbury, Mass., September 14, 1867 ; lives in New 
 York City. 
 
 15 COURAGE 
 
 If you are about to strive for your life, take with 
 you a stout heart and a clean conscience, and trust the 
 rest to God. — From "The Pilot" by J. Fenimore Cooper. 
 
 COOPER'S LITERARY LIFE 
 
 Cooper's literary life is said to have begun in rather a 
 curious way. One evening while reading an English novel 
 to his wife, he declared that he could write a better one 
 himself. To prove it he wrote Precaution, which was pub- 
 lished anonymously in 1819. The book attracted very little 
 attention and is said to have been disowned by its author. 
 However, this did not discourage Cooper. In fact it set 
 him to work harder than ever to prove his contention, and 
 
20 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 in 1821, The Spy, a novel founded on incidents of the 
 American Kevolution, was published and became popular at 
 once. This was followed by thirty-eight other books, nearly 
 all of which are widely read and liked. 
 
 Eead: Selections from Cooper's works, as The Beer- 
 slayer, The Spy, The Pilot, The Last of the Mohicans, etc. 
 
 Sing: ''The Secret of Success," from Uncle Sam's 
 School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: James Fenimore Cooper, a noted American 
 novelist, born at Burlington, N. J., September 15, 1789; 
 died at Cooperstown, N. Y., September 14, 1851. 
 
 William Howard Taft, twenty-seventh President of the 
 United States, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, September 15, 1857. 
 
 16 WORK 
 
 Let us, then, be up and doing, 
 
 With a heart for any fate; 
 Still achieving, still pursuing, 
 
 Learn to labor and to wait. 
 
 — Longfellow 
 
 Birthdays: Anne Bradstreet, author of the first book 
 of poetry written in America, born in Northampton, Eng- 
 land, about 1612; died at Andover, Mass., September 16, 
 1672. 
 
 Francis Parkman, an American writer of history, born 
 in Boston, Mass., September 16, 1823; died at Jamaica 
 Plain, near Boston, November 8, 1893. 
 
 Hamlin Garland, an American author, born at West 
 Salem, Wis., Sept. 16, 1861 ; lives in Chicago. 
 
 17 GRATITUDE 
 
 I thank Thee, Lord, for quiet rest, 
 
 And for Thy care of me; 
 Oh, let me through this day be blest, 
 
 And kept from harm by Thee. 
 
SEPTEMBER 21 
 
 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 opened a school, but this proved a failure. He 
 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. 
 
22 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Birthday: Samuel Johnson, a famous English writer, 
 born in Lichfield, England, September 18, 1709; died in 
 London, England, December 13, 1784. 
 
 19 WOEK 
 
 The heights by great men reached and kept 
 
 Were not attained by sudden flight; 
 But they, while their companions slept, 
 
 Were toiling upward through the night. 
 
 — Longfelloiv 
 
 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. 
 
 20 TRUTHFULNESS 
 
 Oh, what a tangled web we weave 
 When first we practice to deceive. 
 —Scott 
 
 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 
 Finds mark the archer little meant; 
 And many a word at random spoken, 
 May soothe or wound a heart that's broken. 
 
 —Scott 
 
SEPTEMBER 23 
 
 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 dis- 
 place 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." 
 
 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. 
 
24 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 22 POLITENESS 
 
 Hearts, like doors, will ope with ease 
 To very, very little keys; 
 And don't forget that two are these: 
 / thank you, sir, and // you please. 
 
 23 TEUE WORTH 
 
 Traverse the desert, and ye can tell 
 What treasures exist in the cold deep well; 
 Sink in despair on the red parch'd earth, 
 And then ye may reckon what water is worth. 
 
 — Eliza Cook 
 
 THE KING'S GAEDEN 
 
 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 : "0 flowers, vine, and tree, if each 
 one does his best, even though it be but little, what more 
 can he do?" —Selected 
 
SEPTEMBER 25 
 
 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 Lin- 
 coln, and who, at the time of the incident, was his fellow- 
 traveler. 
 
 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. 
 
26 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 John Marshall, chief- justice of the United States, born 
 in Fauquier Co., Va., September 24, 1755; died in Phila- 
 delphia, Pa., July 6, 1835. 
 
 25 CHAKACTER 
 
 Oh! let us live, so that flower by flower, 
 
 Shutting in turn may leave 
 A lingerer still for the sunset hour, 
 
 A charm for the shaded eve. 
 
 — Mrs. Felicia D. Hemans 
 
 Read: "The Point of View," from The Golden Win- 
 dows, by Richards. 
 
 Sing : "To Our Friends, ' ' from Kellogg 's Best Primary 
 Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Mrs. Felicia D. Hemans, an English poet, 
 born in Liverpool, England, September 25, 1794 ; died near 
 Dublin, Ireland, May 12, 1835. 
 
 Gaetano Donizetti, a noted Italian writer of operas, born 
 in Bergamo, Italy, September 25, 1798; died in Bergamo, 
 April 8, 1848. Composer of La Favorita, Lucia di Lam- 
 mermoor, and about sixty other operas. 
 
 26 PATIENCE 
 
 Teach me, Father, how to be, 
 Kind and patient as a tree. 
 
 — Edioin Markham 
 
 Read: "How the Leaves Came Down," by Susan Cool- 
 idge; "Talking in Their Sleep," by Edith Thomas; "The 
 Little Rooster," from Boston Collection of Kindergarten 
 Stories. 
 
 Sing: "Morning Song," from Hanson's Gems of Song. 
 
 27 NEATNESS 
 
 Let thy mind's sweetness have its operation 
 Upon thy body, clothes, and habitation. 
 
SEPTEMBER 27 
 
 THE BOY WHO RECOMMENDED HIMSELF 
 
 A gentleman advertised for a boy to assist him in his 
 office, and nearly fifty applicants presented themselves to 
 him. Out of the whole number, he selected one, and dis- 
 missed the rest. "I should like to know," said a friend, 
 "on what ground you selected that boy, who had not a 
 single recommendation. ' ' "You are mistaken," said the 
 gentleman, "he had a great many. He wiped his feet 
 when he came in, and closed the door after him, showing 
 that he was careful. He gave his seat instantly to that 
 lame old man, showing that he was kind and thoughtful. 
 He took off his cap when he came in, and answered my 
 questions promptly, showing that he was polite and gentle- 
 manly. He picked up the book, which I had purposely 
 laid on the floor, and replaced it upon the table, while all 
 the rest stepped over it, showing that he was orderly ; and 
 he waited quietly for his turn, instead of pushing and 
 crowding. When I talked to him, I noticed that his cloth- 
 ing was tidy, his hair neatly brushed, and his finger nails 
 clean. Do you not call these things letters of recommenda- 
 tion? I do." —Little Corporal 
 
 Birthday : Samuel Adams, an American patriot and one 
 of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, born in 
 Boston, Mass., September 27, 1722 ; died in Boston, October 
 2, 1803. 
 
 28 CHARITY 
 
 I will speak more kindly and considerately to those 
 whose claims are unrecognized by the society in which 
 I live, than I will to others. I will bow more cordially 
 to those to whom persons of position do not bow at all, 
 and I will try in a thousand pleasant, nameless ways 
 to make them happier. God help me to keep my 
 promise good! — Frances E. Willard 
 
 Birthday: Frances E. Willard, lecturer, reformer and 
 philanthropist, born in Churchville, N. Y., September 28, 
 1839 ; died in New York City, February 17, 1898. 
 
28 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 29 TEMPERANCE 
 
 More are drowned in the bowl than in the sea. 
 
 — Publius Syrus 
 
 THE TWO WORKERS 
 
 BY JOHN W. AVERY 
 
 Two workers in one field 
 
 Toiled on from day to day; 
 Both had the same hard labor, 
 
 Both had the same small pay, 
 With the same blue sky above, 
 
 And the same green earth below, 
 One sonl was full of love, 
 
 The other full of woe. 
 
 One leaped up with the light, 
 
 With the soaring of the lark; 
 One felt his woe each night, 
 
 For his soul was ever dark. 
 One heart was hard as stone, 
 
 One heart was ever gay ; 
 One toiled with many a groan, 
 
 One whistled all the day. 
 
 One had a flower-clad cot 
 
 Beside a merry mill ; 
 Wife and children near the spot, 
 
 Made it sweeter, fairer still. 
 One a wretched hovel had, 
 
 Full of discord, dirt and din; 
 No wonder he seemed mad, 
 
 Wife and children starved within. 
 
 Still they worked in the same field, 
 Toiling on from day to day ; 
 
 Both had the same hard labor, 
 Both had the same small pay. 
 
SEPTEMBER 29 
 
 But they worked not with one will — 
 
 The reason, let me tell: 
 Lo! one drank at the still, 
 
 And the other at the well. 
 
 Read : Bible, Prov. 20 : 1 ; 21 : 17 ; 23 : 19-23. 
 
 Sing: "The Flower's Drink/' from Uncle Sam's School 
 Songs. 
 
 Birthday: John McAllister Schofield, an American gen- 
 eral, born in Chautauqua Co., N. Y., September 29, 1831 ; 
 died March 4, 1906. 
 
 30 FIDELITY IN DUTY 
 
 Though your duty may be hard, 
 
 Look not on it as an ill; 
 If it be an honest task 
 
 Do it with an honest will. 
 
 — Richard B. Sheridan 
 
 THE FAITHFUL LITTLE HOLLANDER 
 
 In some parts of Holland the land lies so low, that the 
 people build great walls of earth, called dikes, to keep out 
 the sea. Sometimes the waves break down these walls, and 
 then the sea rushes in through the breach, and spreads 
 over the land, often doing great damage. Houses have 
 thus been washed away, and many people drowned. 
 
 Once as a little boy was going home in the evening, he 
 saw a hole in one of the dikes, through which the water 
 was trickling. His father had often told him that when 
 this happened, unless the water was stopped, it would soon 
 make the hole so large that the sea would rush in and 
 overflow the land. 
 
 At first he thought he would run home and tell his father. 
 But then he said to himself, "It may be dark before father 
 can come, and we shall not be able to find the hole again ; 
 or it may get so large that it will be too late to stop it. 
 I must stay now, and do the best I can alone. ' ' 
 
30 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 The brave little boy sat down, and stopped the hole with 
 earth, holding it with his hand to keep back the water. 
 There he staid hour after hour in the cold and the dark, 
 all through the night. 
 
 In the morning a man came past and saw him. He could 
 not think what the boy was doing; and so he called out to 
 him, "What are you doing there, my boy?" — "There is a 
 hole in the dike/' said the boy, "and I am keeping back 
 the water." 
 
 Poor little boy ! He was so cold and tired that he could 
 scarcely speak. The man came quickly and set him free. 
 He had the hole closed up, and thus the land was saved, 
 thanks to the faithful and brave boy. — Royal Reader 
 
 Read: " Findelkind, " by De la Ramee, from Bimhi 
 Stories. 
 
 Sing: "Here's to that Boy," from Uncle Sam's School 
 Songs. 
 
 Birthday: Richard B. Sheridan, a British writer and 
 statesman, born in Dublin, Ireland, September 30, 1751; 
 died in London, England, July 7, 1816. 
 
OCTOBER 
 
 1 HEROISM 
 
 Heroism is simple, and yet it is rare. Every one who 
 does the best he can is a hero. — Josh Billings 
 
 "DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP!" 
 
 In the War of 1812, there was in our navy a ship called 
 the Hornet, with Captain James Lawrence as its com- 
 mander. One day it engaged in battle with the English 
 vessel Peacock. So fast and so thick flew the balls, so hot 
 and so terrible was the battle, that in fifteen minutes the 
 proud Peacock had lost all her glory and her pride, all her 
 beauty and her courage, and lay upon the waters a complete 
 wreck. Her commander surrendered to Lawrence, the 
 crew were taken prisoners and transferred to the Hornet. 
 
 Later Captain Lawrence was given another vessel and 
 met the English vessel Shannon in battle. After a hot, 
 fierce battle Lawrence's ship was wrecked and Lawrence 
 himself, who always stood in the very thickest of the fire, 
 was mortally wounded. 
 
 Very carefully did his officers carry below their much 
 loved commander; and Lawrence, not forgetting his 
 charge even in dying, whispered, almost with his last 
 breath, * ' Don 't give up the ship ! ' ' — Adapted 
 
 Sing: "America" or "The Star-Spangled Banner." 
 Birthday: James Lawrence, a noted American naval 
 
 officer, born in Burlington, N. J., October 1, 1781; died 
 
 January 5, 1813. 
 
32 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 2 OCTOBER'S BRIGHT WEATHER 
 
 O suns and skies and flowers of June, 
 
 Count all your boasts together, 
 Love loveth best of all the year, 
 
 October's bright blue weather. 
 
 — Helen Hunt Jackson 
 
 Birthday : Major John Andre, a British officer lianged 
 as a spy in the War of the Revolution, born of Swiss par- 
 ents in London, England, 1751; hanged at Tappan, N. Y., 
 October 2, 1780. 
 
 3 FRIENDSHIP 
 
 The friendship between me and you I will not com- 
 pare to a chain ; for that rains might rust, or the falling 
 tree might break. 
 
 — From "History of the United States" 
 by George Bancroft 
 
 DAMON AND PYTHIAS 
 
 More than two thousand years ago two young men who 
 were intimate friends lived in Greece. Their names were 
 Damon and Pythias. 
 
 The ruler of the country, named Dionysius, was a cruel 
 man. He put Pythias into prison and set a day for his 
 death. Pythias had done nothing wrong, but he had con- 
 victed the ruler of wrong-doing. 
 
 The father and mother of Pythias lived in another part 
 of the country. "May I go home to bid them good-by, 
 and to arrange my affairs before I die?" he asked. 
 
 The ruler laughed. "That is a strange request,' ' said 
 he. "Of course you would escape and you would never 
 come back.'' 
 
 At that moment Damon stepped forward. "I am his 
 friend, ' ' he said. I will stay in prison till Pythias returns. ' ' 
 
 Then the ruler asked: "What will happen if Pythias 
 does not return ?" 
 
 "I will die for him," said Damon. 
 
OCTOBER 33 
 
 This surprised Dionysius very much. He put Damon in 
 prison and Pythias went home. Weeks went by and 
 Pythias did not return. At last the day of execution came, 
 and Damon was led out to be put to death. He said: 
 "Pythias will come if he is alive. I can trust him 
 absolutely. ' ' 
 
 Just then soldiers ran up, shouting: "Here he comes! 
 Here he comes !" 
 
 Yes, there was Pythias, breathless with haste. He had 
 been shipwrecked on his journey and had been cast on shore 
 many miles away. He had walked all those miles to get 
 back in time. 
 
 Dionysius was greatly moved. "You are both free, " said 
 he. "I would give all I have for one such friend. Will 
 you let me become a friend to you both?" 
 
 — Ethics for Children 
 
 Kead : Bible, Prov. 27 : 9-10. 
 
 Sing : ' ' Auld Lang Syne. ' ' 
 
 Birthdays: Miles Standish, the first military leader of 
 the Puritan settlers in New England, born in Lancashire, 
 England, about 1584; died in Duxbury, Mass., October 
 3, 1656. 
 
 George Bancroft, an American statesman and historian, 
 born in Worcester, Mass., October 3, 1800; died at Wash- 
 ington, D. C, January 17, 1891. 
 
 Elias Howe, a noted American inventor, born in Spencer, 
 Mass., July 9, 1819; died in Brooklyn, N. Y., October 3, 
 1867. 
 
 4 HONOR 
 
 The soul asks honor, and not fame; to be upright, 
 not to be successful, to be good, not prosperous; to be 
 essentially, not outwardly, respectable. 
 
 — Robert Louis Stevenson 
 
 Birthdays: Jean Francois Millet, a French painter, 
 
34 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 born in Gruchy, France, October 4, 1814 ; died at Barbizon, 
 near Paris, France, January 18, 1875. 
 
 Rutherford B. Hayes, nineteenth president of the United 
 States, born in Delaware, Ohio, October 4, 1822; died at 
 Fremont, Ohio, January 17, 1893. 
 
 Frederic Remington, an American artist and author, 
 born in Canton, N. Y., October 4, 1861 ; died at Ridgefield, 
 Conn., December 26, 1909. 
 
 5 SELF-EELIANCE 
 
 I hold it truth with him who sings 
 To one clear harp in divers tones, 
 That men may rise on stepping-stones 
 
 Of their dead selves to higher things. 
 
 — Tennyson 
 
 THE JUDGE'S BENCH 
 
 One who cultivates self-reliance will grow stronger 
 physically, mentally and morally. It is better for one to 
 inherit a character for honesty, industry, and self-reliance 
 than to inherit a fortune in money. The former may grow, 
 the latter may go. 
 
 A former United States judge began his career as a 
 carpenter, using his spare time in the study of law. One 
 day he was planing a board which was to become a part 
 of a judge 's bench. A friend who was observing his pains- 
 taking effort, said to him: "Why do you take so great 
 pains to make it smooth V 
 
 "Because I want a smooth seat when I come to sit upon 
 it," was the reply. After a number of years of persistent 
 effort he came to sit on that same bench. 
 
 Read: "The Lark and Her Young Ones/' from Boston 
 Collection of Kindergarten Stories. 
 
 Sing: "Life is Real, Life is Earnest,' ' from Uncle 
 Sam's School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays : Chester A. Arthur, twenty-first president of 
 
OCTOBER 35 
 
 the United States, born at Fairfield, Vt, October 5, 1830; 
 died at New York City, November 18, 1886. 
 
 William Hamilton Gibson, American author, artist, and 
 naturalist, born at Sandy Hook, Conn., October 5, 1850; 
 died in Washington, Conn., July 16, 1896. 
 
 6 KINDNESS 
 
 Howe'er it be, it seems to me, 
 
 "lis only noble to be good; 
 Kind hearts are more than coronets 
 
 And simple faith than Norman blood. 
 — Tennyson 
 
 Read: Selections from Tennyson's poems. 
 
 Sing: " Sweet and Low," from Songs Every One 
 Should Know; "The Bugle Song," from Hanson's Gems 
 of Song. 
 
 Birthdays: Alfred Lord Tennyson, a famous English 
 poet, born at Somersby, Lincolnshire, England, August 6, 
 1809; died at Aldworth House, near Haslemere, Surrey, 
 England, October 6, 1892. 
 
 Jenny Lind, a famous Swedish singer, born in Stock- 
 holm, Sweden, October 6, 1821 ; died November 2, 1887. 
 
 George Westinghouse, an American inventor and manu- 
 facturer, born at Central Bridge, Schoharie Co., N. Y., 
 October 6, 1846 ; died in Pittsburgh, Pa., March 12, 1914. 
 
 7 HEALTH DAY 
 
 You hear that boy laughing? You think he's all fun, 
 
 But the angels laugh, too, at the good he has done; 
 
 The children laugh loud as they troop to his call, 
 
 And the poor man that knows him laughs loudest of all. 
 
 — 0. W. Holmes 
 
 A HEALTH CEEED 
 
 [For daily recitation] 
 
 To be well I must keep my body, my clothes and my 
 house clean. 
 
36 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 I must have plenty of fresh air and of sunshine. 
 
 I must eat good food and chew it slowly and brush my 
 teeth often. 
 
 I should drink plenty of water. 
 
 I must sit straight and stand straight, so as to breathe 
 deep and grow up straight and strong. 
 
 Early to bed and a long night's sleep will rest my mind 
 and body and keep me from being nervous. 
 
 — Alice G. Ryan 
 
 Birthday: Oliver Wendell Holmes, a noted American 
 author, born in Cambridge, Mass., August 29, 1809; died 
 in Boston, Mass., October 7, 1894. 
 
 8 GOOD DEEDS 
 
 The words which thou hast uttered, 
 
 Are of thy soul a part. 
 And the good seed thou hast scattered 
 
 Is springing from the heart. 
 
 — Whittier 
 
 KINDNESS RETURNED 
 
 One day a lady who was riding in a stagecoach saw a lad 
 on the road barefoot and seemingly very footsore. She 
 asked the coachman to take him up, and said she would 
 pay for him. When the coach reached the end of its jour- 
 ney, the kind lady found that the poor lad was bound for 
 the nearest seaport, to offer himself as a sailor. 
 
 Twenty years afterwards, on the same road, a sea cap- 
 tain, riding on a stagecoach, saw an old lady walking 
 wearily along, and he asked the coachman to pull up his 
 horses. He then put the old lady inside the coach, saying, 
 "I'll pay for her." When they next changed horses, the 
 old lady thanked the captain, saying, ' ' I am too poor to pay 
 for a ride now. ,, 
 
 The captain told her that he always felt for those who 
 had to walk, as she had been doing, and added, ' ' I remem- 
 
OCTOBER 37 
 
 ber, twenty years ago, near this very place, I was a poor 
 lad walking along the road, and a kind lady paid for me 
 to ride." 
 
 "Ah!" said she, "I am that lady; but things have 
 changed with me since then. ' ' 
 
 "Well," said the captain, "I have made a fortune, and 
 have come home to enjoy it. I will allow you twenty-five 
 pounds a year as long as you live." The old lady burst 
 into tears, as she gratefully accepted the sailor's offer. 
 
 — White's School Management 
 
 Head : "The Knights and the Good Child, ' ' from Bake- 
 well's True Fairy Stories. 
 
 Birthdays: Rembrandt [Van Ryn], a famous Dutch 
 painter, born in Leyden, Netherlands, July 15, 1607; died 
 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, October 8, 1669. 
 
 Edmund Clarence Stedman, an American poet and critic, 
 born in Hartford, Conn., October 8, 1833; died at New 
 York City, January 18, 1908. 
 
 John Hay, an American author and diplomatist, born 
 at Salem, 111., October 8, 1839; died at Newburg, N. H., 
 July 1, 1905. 
 
 9 HAPPINESS 
 
 The sweetest bird builds near the ground, 
 The loveliest flowers spring low, 
 And we must stoop for happiness 
 If we its worth would know. 
 
 — Swain 
 
 Read: "The Miller of the Dee," from Baldwin's Fifty 
 Famous Stories. 
 
 Sing: "Come with Thy Lute," from Kellogg 's Best 
 Primary Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, a noted 
 Spanish writer, born at Alcala de Henares, Spain, October 
 9, 1547 ; died April 23, 1616, on the same day with Shakes- 
 peare. Author of Don Quixote. 
 
38 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Guiseppe Verdi, an Italian writer of music, born in the 
 duchy of Parma, Italy, October 9 1814; died in Milan, 
 Italy, January 26, 1901. 
 
 Leonard Wood, an American soldier, born at Winchester, 
 N. H., October 9, I860; at present, chief of staff of the 
 army, living at Washington, D. C. 
 
 Harriet G. Hosmer, an American sculptor, born in 
 Watertown, Mass., October 9, 1830. 
 
 10 CONSCIENCE 
 
 Do what conscience says is right; 
 
 Do what reason says is best; 
 Do with all your mind and might; 
 
 Do your duty and be blest. 
 
 LINCOLN'S CONSCIENTIOUSNESS 
 
 Abraham Lincoln held the office of postmaster at New 
 Salem, Illinois, for three years. Several years later when 
 he was a practicing lawyer, an agent called upon him, and 
 asked for a balance of seventeen dollars due the govern- 
 ment. Lincoln arose and opening a little trunk which lay 
 in a corner of the room, took out from it a cotton rag in 
 which was tied up the exact sum required. "I never use 
 any man's money, but my own," he quietly remarked. 
 
 When we consider the poverty of those years, we can 
 appreciate the self-denial that had kept him from making 
 even a temporary use of that government money. 
 
 Sing: "Woodman, Spare That Tree," from Songs 
 Every One Should Know. 
 
 Birthdays: George P. Morris, a noted American song 
 writer, born in Philadelphia, Pa., October 10, 1802 ; died in 
 New York City, July 6, 1864. Author of "Woodman, 
 Spare That Tree," "My Mother's Bible," etc. 
 
 Mihaly Munkacsy, a Hungarian painter, born at Mun- 
 kacs, Hungary, October 10, 1846; died in Bonn, Germany, 
 May 1, 1900. 
 
OCTOBER 39 
 
 11 GOOD MANNERS 
 
 Good boys and girls should never say, 
 "I will," and "Give me these." 
 Oh, no, that never is the way, 
 But "Mother, if you please." 
 
 THE DRUM AND THE VASE OF SWEET HERBS 
 
 A drum was once boasting to a vase of sweet herbs in 
 this way: "Listen to me! My voice is loud and can be 
 heard far off. I stir the hearts of men so that when they 
 hear my bold roaring they march out bravely to battle." 
 
 The vase spoke no words, but gave out a fine, sweet per- 
 fume that filled the air, and seemed to say: I cannot 
 speak, and it is not well to be proud, but I am full of good 
 things that are hidden within me, and that gladly come 
 forth to give cheer and comfort. But you, you have noth- 
 ing in you but noise, and you must be struck to make you 
 give that out. I would not boast if I were you. 
 
 — &sop 
 
 Read: " Please/ ' by Alicia Aspinwall, in Can You 
 Believe Me Stories. 
 
 Sing: "Kind Words," from Kellogg -s Best Primary 
 Songs. 
 
 12 COLUMBUS OR DISCOVERY DAY 
 
 Endurance is the crowning quality, 
 And patience all the passion of great hearts. 
 — From "Columbus," by Lowell 
 
 A LESSON IN COURAGE AND PERSEVERANCE 
 
 Washington Irving in his Life of Columbus relates the 
 following incident, which illustrates but one of the many 
 great disappointments of the navigator. 
 
 While Columbus, his pilot, and several of his experienced 
 mariners were studying the map, and endeavoring to make 
 
40 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 out from it their actual position, they heard a shout from 
 the Pinta, and looking up, beheld Martin Alonzo Pinzon 
 mounted on the stern of his vessel crying, "Land! land! 
 Senor, I claim my reward ! ' ' He pointed at the same time 
 to the southwest, where there was indeed an appearance of 
 land at about twenty-five leagues' distance. 
 
 Upon this Columbus threw himself on his knees and 
 returned thanks to God; and Martin Alonzo repeated the 
 Gloria in excelsis, in which he was joined by his own crew 
 and that of the admiral. The seamen now mounted to 
 the masthead or climbed about the rigging, straining their 
 eyes in the direction pointed out. The morning light, how- 
 ever, put an end to all their hopes, as to a dream. The 
 fancied land proved to be nothing but an evening cloud, 
 and had vanished in the night. 
 
 It is not certain, however, that the disappointments of 
 to-day will not give place to realized hope to-morrow. 
 Columbus was not discouraged ; in fact nothing could turn 
 him back, and hope had its final reward. 
 
 Read: James Russell Lowell's " Columbus/ ' and 
 Joaquin Miller's "Columbus." 
 
 Sing: "Columbus," from Songs in Season. 
 
 Birthdays : Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the 
 New World, born in or near Genoa, Italy, about 1446 ; died 
 in Vallodolid, Spain, May 20, 1506. 
 
 Josiah G. Holland, an American writer, born in Belcher- 
 town, Mass., July 24, 1819 ; died in New York City, October 
 12, 1881. 
 
 Dinah Maria Mulock Craik [Miss Mulock], an English 
 writer of novels and stories, born in Stoke-upon-Trent, 
 England, in 1826; died at Shortlands, Kent, England, 
 October 12, 1887. 
 
 Special Days : Anniversary of the discovery of America 
 [Columbus Day]. Arbor Day in North Carolina. (See 
 Arbor Day, April 19 and 20, this book.) 
 
OCTOBER 41 
 
 13 OPPOETUNITY 
 
 Do not cry and weep for chances, 
 
 Chances that have passed away, 
 Opportunities neglected — 
 
 Grasp the chance you have to-day. 
 
 — Selected 
 
 Read : * ' Day, ' ' by Kichards, from The Golden Windows. 
 Sing: "The Jolly Workers/' from Kellogg 's Best Pri- 
 mary Songs. 
 
 14 JUSTICE 
 
 If those who've wronged us own their faults and kindly pity pray, 
 When shall we listen and forgive? To-day, my love, to-day. 
 But if stern justice urge rebuke, and warmth from memory borrow, 
 When shall we chide if chide we must? To-morrow, love, to-morrow. 
 
 WILLIAM PENN AND THE INDIANS 
 
 Some of the early settlers of this country bargained with 
 the Indians that for each fish-hook given, they were to give 
 as much land as a bullock's hide would cover. But the 
 settlers cut the hide into thin strips, and made it cover 
 a large area. William Penn, when he first came to America, 
 to Pennsylvania, bargained with the Indians that he would 
 give a certain number of articles for as much land as a man 
 could walk around in a certain time. The man covered 
 so much more land than the Indians believed he would, 
 that they became dissatisfied and threatening. But Penn 
 said to them, "You agreed to this way of measuring." 
 His companions wished to force the carrying out of this 
 argument. But Penn replied that that would be wrong 
 toward these simple children of the prairie; he asked them 
 what they thought would be right, and they simply 
 demanded a few more rolls of cloth, to which Penn agreed. 
 Not only was war averted, but the Indians were pleased 
 
42 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 with the fair and just spirit shown by the strangers, and 
 became their friends. — Popular Educator 
 
 Read: Bible, Matt. 5:38-48. 
 
 Birthday: William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, 
 born in London, England, October 14, 1644; died at Rus- 
 combe, Berkshire, England, July 30, 1718. 
 
 15 A SCHOOLROOM LESSON 
 
 If you've any task to do, 
 Let me whisper, friend, to you, 
 Do it. 
 
 TURNING ABOUT 
 
 BY MARY J. MYERS 
 
 'Tis tempting sore, there is no doubt, 
 While at your desk, to turn about. 
 Your eyes you turn, your nose you point, 
 Your neck is sadly out of joint. 
 
 While turning round to look behind, 
 You miss what is before, you 11 find, 
 And what's before is much worth while, 
 And looking forward's better style. 
 
 How very strange it all would be 
 If eyes were placed behind to see, 
 While mouth and chin and also toes 
 Were pointing forward with your nose. 
 
 So forward turn and danger spare, 
 And of your eyes and neck take care, 
 Lest kink in neck or eye refrain 
 From ever turning straight again. 
 
 Sing: "Opening Song," from Uncle Sam's School 
 Songs. 
 
OCTOBER 43 
 
 16 WATCH YOUR WORDS 
 
 Keep a watch on your words, my darling, 
 
 For words are wonderful things; 
 They are sweet like the bees' fresh honey — 
 
 Like the bees they have terrible stings; 
 They can bless like the warm, glad sunshine, 
 
 And brighten a lonely life, 
 They can cut, in the strife of anger, 
 
 Like an open, two-edged knife. 
 
 —Mrs. E. R. Miller 
 
 Birthdays: Noah Webster, an American author, born 
 in Hartford, Conn., October 16, 1758 ; died in New Haven, 
 Conn., May 28, 1843. 
 
 Horace E. Scudder, an American writer, born in Boston, 
 Mass., October 16, 1838 ; died in Cambridge, Mass., January 
 11, 1902. 
 
 17 OBEDIENCE 
 
 He who has learned to obey, will know how to command. 
 
 — Solon 
 
 A LESSON IN OBEDIENCE 
 
 One day General Washington, sending a dispatch, 
 directed the bearer to cross the river at a certain ferry, 
 and go through the Ramapo Pass to Morristown. The 
 young man, knowing that a nest of traitors infested the 
 pass, ventured to suggest to the Commander-in-chief that 
 another road would be safer. "I shall be taken/ ' he said, 
 1 'if I go through the pass." " Young man, your duty is 
 not to talk, but to obey/' said Washington, sternly. He 
 went as directed, and near the pass was captured, as he 
 was afraid of being, and sent to New York, then in the 
 hands of the enemy. The next day, the dispatches taken 
 from him, disclosing a plan of attacking the city, were 
 published with great parade, and the English immediately 
 began preparations to defend it. 
 
 This gave Washington time to plan and execute another 
 
44 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 movement in quite a different direction, and by that time 
 both the British and the bearer found out that the dispatch 
 was meant to be taken. 
 
 Read: "Bessie's Garden/' from Whittier's Child Life 
 in Prose; ' ' Casabianca, ' ' from Baldwin's Fifty Famous 
 Stories Retold; Bible, Prov. 3 : 1-7. 
 
 Sing: "How Happy is the Child," from Kellogg 's Best 
 Primary Songs. 
 
 18 PATIENCE 
 
 One day at a time. It's a wholesome rhyme; 
 A good one to live by, a day at a time. 
 
 — Helen Hunt Jackson 
 
 Read: "October's Bright Blue Weather," by Helen 
 Hunt Jackson; also sketch of her life, from October Pri- 
 mary Plan Book. 
 
 Sing: "There's Music in the Air," from Uncle Sam's 
 School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Helen Hunt Jackson, an American writer, 
 born at Amherst, Mass., October 18, 1831; died in San 
 Francisco, Cal., August 12, 1885. 
 
 Thomas B. Reed, an American statesman, born in Port- 
 land, Me., October 18, 1839; died in Washington, D. C, 
 September 7, 1902. 
 
 19 DEVOTION TO DUTY 
 
 Heaven is not reached at a single bound, 
 But we build the ladder by which we rise 
 From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, 
 
 And we mount to its summit round by round. 
 
 — Holland 
 
 THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY 
 
 Once while in camp Napoleon Bonaparte stayed in a 
 building with some soldiers, among whom he observed a 
 little drummer boy, not yet twelve years of age. Calling 
 
OCTOBER 45 
 
 the boy to him, the great Emperor asked, "My little man, 
 what are you doing here ? ' ' 
 
 "I belong to the army, sire," replied the boy. 
 
 "What do you do in the army?" asked Napoleon. 
 
 * ' I am a drummer, sire, ' ' was the reply. 
 
 "Fetch your drum," said Napoleon. The drum was 
 fetched and Napoleon said : ' ' Sound the ' general ' for me. ' ' 
 Promptly the "general" was sounded by the little drum- 
 mer, and the Emperor exclaimed, "Good! now, beat the 
 'march;' " and the boy obeyed. "Now, sound the 
 'advance,' " said Bonaparte, and with sparkling eyes the 
 little Drummer sounded the "advance" in a firm, even 
 measure. "Good!" exclaimed the Emperor, "Now for the 
 'charge'!" and with eyes flashing fire the little soldier 
 beat the "charge" till the very rafters trembled from the 
 vibrations of the wild, fierce notes. "Bravo!" cried 
 Napoleon, "now beat for me the 'retreat.' " Down went 
 the sticks. The little fellow straightened up and with a 
 flush of manly pride, he said, "You must excuse me, sire, 
 I never learned that. Our regiment never retreated. " The 
 great commander excused him, and it is said that even on 
 St. Helena he often spoke of his little drummer boy who 
 could not beat a "retreat." 
 
 Birthday: Edward Winslow, governor of Plymouth 
 colony, born at Droitwich, Worcestershire, England, Octo- 
 ber 19, 1595 ; died at sea, May 8, 1655. 
 
 20 HUMILITY 
 
 Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much, 
 Wisdom is humble that he knows no more. 
 
 — Cowper 
 
 SELF-PRAISE 
 
 A man once walked along the banks of the mighty 
 Euphrates River. Its waters moved softly and silently 
 
46 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 along. "Why do not thy waters surge and roar?" asked 
 the man. And the river replied : "I need not shout aloud ; 
 my name is known widely enough. The green meadows 
 which I water and the lofty trees upon my banks — these 
 tell who I am." 
 
 The man came afterward to the banks of the Tigris 
 Kiver. Its waves dashed along wildly and with clouds of 
 foam. "Hello, how loud you are shouting!" said the man. 
 "Ah," said the river, "my shouting does not help me at 
 all! I still am not praised like other streams, however 
 loudly I proclaim that I am something in the world." 
 
 The man went further. He saw trees with the costliest 
 and most beautiful fruit. They offered their fruits with- 
 out a sound. ' ' Why so still, good trees ? " he asked. ' ' Why 
 not rustle like your companions in the wood?" "We are 
 known," they replied, "by the fruit we bear, however 
 silent we are." Soon the man came to a wood whose trees 
 towered to the skies, and whose empty crests kept up a 
 constant roar. l ' Why do you make such a noise ? " he 
 asked. "Ah," they replied, "we have shouted loud and 
 long, and yet we are not treated as we deserve." 
 
 "Now I know," said the man, "who praises himself 
 amounts to nothing. The truly meritorious require no self- 
 praise. That truth I will not forget." 
 
 — Jewish Messenger 
 
 Read: "The Fantail Pigeon," from Poulsson's In the 
 Child's World. 
 
 Sing: "Don't Talk When YouVe Nothing to Say," 
 from American School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays : Henry Inman, an American painter, born in 
 Utica, N. Y., October 20, 1801 ; died in New York City, 
 January 17, 1846. 
 
 Thomas Hughes, an English author, born in Uffington, 
 Berkshire, England, October 20, 1823; died March 22, 
 1896. 
 
OCTOBER 47 
 
 21 MUSIC IN ALL THINGS 
 
 There's music in the sighing of a reed; 
 There's music in the gushing of a rill; 
 There's music in all things, if men had ears: 
 This earth is but an echo of the spheres. 
 
 — Byron 
 
 "AMERICA" 
 
 This most popular and best loved of all our national 
 songs was written by Dr. Samuel F. Smith. One of Dr. 
 Smith's best friends was Lowell Mason, the eminent musi- 
 cian. A German friend had given to Mr. Mason a number 
 of German music books. Being unable to read German, 
 Mr. Mason carried the books to Dr. Smith and asked him 
 to translate some of the songs for him. What followed we 
 will let Dr. Smith relate. He says: "Turning over the 
 leaves of one of these books one day in February, 1832, 
 I came across the air 'God Save the King.' I liked the 
 music. I glanced at the German words at the foot of the 
 page. Under the inspiration of the moment I went to 
 work and in half an hour ' America' was the result. It was 
 written on a scrap of paper I picked up from the table, and 
 the hymn of to-day is substantially as it was written that 
 day." 
 
 This hymn was first sung at a children's Fourth of July 
 celebration in Park Street Church, Boston. It did not 
 have great popularity until the Civil "War. Since then it 
 has become the best known of any of our national songs. 
 
 An incident in connection with the singing of "Amer- 
 ica," on one particular occasion, may be related here with 
 profit. Not many years ago there was gathered in a United 
 States consulate in a foreign land a few score Americans. 
 It was the Fourth of July and the little band seemed par- 
 ticularly impressed with the significance of the day and 
 the occasion. One member of the party suggested that they 
 sing "America." He began the song, all sang the first 
 
48 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 stanza, a few sang the second, four voices blended together 
 to the end of the third, and a single voice continued to the 
 end. Only one person of all those gathered together knew 
 his national song to the end. Is not this a lesson to us ? 
 
 Sing : ' ' America. ' ' 
 
 Birthdays: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a noted English 
 poet, born at Ottery Saint Mary, Devonshire, England, 
 October 21, 1772 ; died in London, July 25, 1834. 
 
 Will Carleton, an American poet, born at Hudson, Mich., 
 October 21, 1845. Editor of Everywhere. 
 
 Samuel F. Smith, an American clergyman, born in Bos- 
 ton, Mass., October 21, 1808 ; died in Boston, November 16, 
 18&5. Author of song " America.' ' 
 
 22 EVIL SPEAKING 
 
 Boys flying kites haul in their white-winged birds; 
 You can't do that way when you're flying words. 
 "Careful with fire," is good advice, we know; 
 "Careful with words," is ten times doubly so. 
 Thoughts unexpressed may sometimes fall back dead; 
 But God himself can't kill them when they're said. 
 
 — Will Carleton 
 
 THE SLANDERER 
 
 A lady visited Sir Philip Neri on one occasion, accusing 
 herself of being a slanderer. 
 
 "Do you frequently fall into this fault ?" he inquired. 
 
 "Yes, very often," replied the penitent. 
 
 "My dear child," said Philip, "your fault is great, but 
 the mercy of God is greater. I now bid thee do as follows : 
 Go to the nearest market and purchase a chicken just killed 
 and still covered with feathers ; then walk to a certain dis- 
 tance, plucking the bird as you go. Your walk finished, 
 return to me." 
 
 The woman did as directed and returned, anxious to 
 know the meaning of so singular an injunction. 
 
OCTOBER 49 
 
 "You have been very faithful to the first part of my 
 orders," said Philip; ''now do the second part, and you 
 will be cured. Retrace your steps, pass through all the 
 places you have traversed, and gather up one by one all 
 the feathers you have scattered." 
 
 "But," said the woman, "I cast the feathers carelessly 
 away, and the wind carried them in all directions. ' ' 
 
 "Well, my child," replied Philip, "so it is with your 
 words of slander. Like the feathers which the wind has 
 scattered, they have been wafted in many directions: call 
 them back now if you can. Go, sin no more." 
 
 Birthdays: Franz Liszt, a famous Hungarian pianist 
 and composer of music, born at Raiding, October 22, 1811 ; 
 died at Bayreuth, Bavaria, July 31, 1886. 
 
 Sarah Bernhardt, a celebrated French actress, born in 
 Paris, France, October 22, 1844. (Her real name is Rosine 
 Bernard.) 
 
 23 BEAUTIFUL THINGS 
 
 Beautiful faces are they that wear 
 The light of a pleasant spirit there; 
 It matters little if dark or fair. 
 
 Beautiful hands are they that do 
 Deeds that are noble, good and true; 
 Busy with them the long day through. 
 
 Beautiful feet are they that go 
 
 Swiftly to lighten another's woe, 
 
 Through the summer's heat or winter's snow. 
 
 Beautiful children, if, rich or poor, 
 They walk the pathways sweet and pure 
 That lead to the mansion strong and sure. 
 
 —Mrs. E. B. Miller 
 
 Sing: "Away with Melancholy," from Uncle Sam's 
 School Songs. 
 
 Birthday: Francis Hopkinson Smith, an American 
 
50 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 author, painter and civil engineer, born in Baltimore, Md., 
 October 23, 1838 ; lives in New York City. 
 
 24 PUKPOSE 
 
 I live for those who love me, 
 
 Whose hearts are fond and true. 
 
 For the heaven that smiles above me, 
 And awaits my spirit too; 
 
 For all human ties that bind me, 
 
 For the task by God assigned me, 
 
 For the bright hopes left behind me, 
 And the good that I can do. 
 
 — G. L. Banks 
 
 THE TWO ROADS 
 
 BY JEAN PAUL RICHTER 
 
 It was New Year's night. An aged man was standing 
 at a window. He raised his mournful eyes toward the deep 
 blue sky, where the stars were floating, like white lilies, on 
 the surface of a clear, calm lake. Then he cast them down 
 hopelessly on the earth. 
 
 Already he had passed sixty years of life, and he had 
 brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse. 
 His health was destroyed, his mind vacant, his heart sor- 
 rowful, and his old age devoid of comfort. 
 
 The days of his youth rose up, in a vision, before him, 
 and he recalled the solemn moment, when his father had 
 placed him at the entrance of two roads, — one leading into 
 a peaceful, sunny land, covered with a fertile harvest, and 
 resounding with soft, sweet songs; while the other con- 
 ducted the wanderer into a deep, dark cave, whence there 
 was no issue, where poison flowed, instead of water, and 
 where serpents hissed and crawled. 
 
 He looked toward the sky, and cried out in his agony: 
 "0 youth, return! my father, place me once more at 
 the entrance to life, that I may choose the better way!" 
 
OCTOBER 51 
 
 But the days of his youth and his father had both passed 
 away. 
 
 Ye who still linger on the threshold of life, doubting 
 which path to choose, remember that when years are passed, 
 and your feet stumble on the dark mountain, you will 
 cry bitterly, but cry in vain: "0 youth return! 0, give 
 me back my early days!" — Adapted 
 
 25 HONESTY 
 
 Thou must be true thyself, 
 If thou the truth wouldst teach; 
 Thy soul must overflow, if thou 
 Another's soul wouldst reach! 
 It needs the overflow of heart 
 To give the lips full speech. 
 
 Think truly, and thy thoughts 
 Shall the world's famine feed; 
 Speak truly, and each word of thine 
 Shall be a fruitful seed; 
 Live truly, and thy life shall be 
 A great and noble creed. 
 
 — Horatius Bonar 
 
 Read: "The Honest Woodman," from Boston Collec- 
 tion of Kindergarten Stories; Bible, Prov. 22 : 1 ; Eccl. 7:1. 
 
 Sing: "Home, Sweet Home," from Uncle Sam's School 
 Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Geoffrey Chaucer, a famous English poet, 
 born in London, England, about 1328 ; died in London, 
 October 25, 1400. Author of the Canterbury Tales. 
 
 Thomas Babington Macaulay, a famous English historian, 
 born in Leicestershire, England, October 25, 1800; died at 
 Holly Lodge, Campden Hill, England, December 28, 1859. 
 
 26 THE RED CROSS 
 
 God be thanked that the dead have left still 
 Good undone for the living to do. 
 
 — Owen Meredith 
 
52 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 THE STORY OF THE RED CROSS FLAG 
 
 On Christmas Day, 1822, Clara Barton was born. As a 
 child Miss Barton was painfully shy in the presence of 
 strangers, so her parents finally decided to send her to 
 boarding school, thus hoping to overcome this sensitiveness. 
 Here her suffering was so acute that she was finally brought 
 back home. What was to be done with her ? The question 
 solved itself. Her beloved brother David fell ill ; the baby 
 sister became his nurse, taking all the responsibility of his 
 care upon herself; for two years she devoted herself to 
 him. She thus forgot herself, and in a great measure con- 
 quered the shyness, which had made life a burden. 
 
 Next Miss Barton was a teacher, and then she became a 
 clerk in the Patent Office in Washington. Soon began to 
 be heard the rumblings of war, and then the rumbling 
 became a mighty thundering and the Civil War was on. A 
 regiment from Clara Barton's old home in Massachusetts 
 was passing through Washington. Without consulting any- 
 one, Clara Barton joined it, and so began her labor of love 
 as an army nurse. Her clear insight, strong will, ability 
 to do and direct work made her invaluable to the regiment. 
 She became the natural leader in the work of relief. For 
 four years Miss Barton followed the vicissitudes of a ter- 
 rible warfare. 
 
 The Civil War closed, the army was disbanded, the 
 soldiers went home. Not so Clara Barton ; her work was 
 not yet ended. Four additional years were given to organ- 
 izing and carrying on a work of identifying the dead and 
 delivering the messages of the dead and dying. Many a 
 mother had cause to bless the name of Clara Barton, who 
 sought her out to deliver the dying message of a beloved 
 son. 
 
 Then came the Franco-Prussian war. All Europe was 
 stirred. Clara Barton was visited by a band of people who 
 were going to the center of the battle to help care for the 
 
OCTOBER 53 
 
 sufferers. These people were organized for the work and 
 had an organization behind them — it was the International 
 Red Cross of Geneva. The object in having such an organ- 
 ization was that it should be recognized and respected on 
 any battlefield anywhere. It was called the Red Cross — 
 their emblem or flag was a Greek Cross in red on a white 
 field. Thirty-one governments had signed this treaty; the 
 United States had not. Clara Barton went to Europe, she 
 nursed the soldiers through the Franco-Prussian war. She 
 returned home. She realized that wherever there was war 
 in the future that there the Red Cross must be found ; she 
 knew that the Red Cross was a benefit to humanity. She 
 felt that the United States must sign this convention. 
 
 She determined to work to bring this about. She sought 
 the officials at Washington, and told them the benefits to be 
 derived from the Red Cross; she told them its history on 
 these European battlefields ; she was so earnest in her desire 
 to aid her country that she won her cause. In the year 
 1882 the United States ratified this convention, and so we 
 secured the protection of the Red Cross. Clara Barton was 
 made the first president of the American National Red Cross 
 Society. She made an able commander. She went, or sent 
 relief corps and provisions to the Johnstown Flood, Russian 
 Famine, South Carolina Tidal Wave, Armenian Massacre, 
 and the Spanish- American war. Miss Barton died in 1912, 
 at the age of ninety years. 
 
 Read: "The Red Cross," from Baldwin's American 
 Book of Golden Deeds; "St. Elizabeth and the Sick Child," 
 from Wiltse's Kindergarten Stories and Morning Talks; 
 Bible, Matt. 5:6; Matt. 20 : 26-27. 
 
 Sing: "Flow Gently, Sweet Afton," from Hanson's 
 Gems of Song. 
 
 Special Day: Anniversary of the origin of the Red 
 Cross Society; emblem: red cross. Clara Barton was the 
 founder of the Red Cross Society in America. 
 
54 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 27 PERSEVERANCE 
 
 It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried 
 to succeed. — Theodore Roosevelt 
 
 ROBERT BRUCE AND THE SPIDER 
 
 It was the perseverance of the spider that taught King 
 Robert Bruce of Scotland the lesson that gained the victory 
 at Bannockburn, the battle that made Scotland free. The 
 King was out in a barn one day reconnoitering the army. 
 While there reclining on the straw he saw a spider climb- 
 ing up one of the rafters. The insect fell, but immediately 
 made a second attempt. Again it fell, and so on for twelve 
 times, but on the thirteenth attempt succeeded. The King, 
 taking new courage from the example of the spider, rose 
 up and exclaimed: "Have I not been twelve times 
 defeated by the superior force of the enemy ? On one fight 
 more hangs the independence of my country." It was 
 only a few days more until he gained the great victory 
 over Edward the third in the battle of Bannockburn. 
 
 Read: "The Crow and the Pitcher,' ' from Wiltse's 
 Kindergarten Stories and Morning Talks. 
 
 Sing: "Try, Try Again," from Songs Every One 
 Should Know. 
 
 Birthdays: James Cook, an English navigator, born at 
 Marton, Yorkshire, England, October 27, 1728 ; died Febru- 
 ary 14, 1779. 
 
 Joseph Emerson Worcester, an American author, born 
 in Bedford, N. H., August 24, 1784; died in Cambridge, 
 Mass., October 27, 1865. Chiefly famous for his A Dic- 
 tionary of the English Language. 
 
 Whitelaw Reid, an American journalist and diplomatist, 
 born near Xenia, Ohio, October 27, 1837. 
 
 Theodore Roosevelt, twenty-sixth president of the United 
 States, born in New York, October 27, 1858 ; lives in Oyster 
 Bay, Long Island, N. Y. 
 
OCTOBER 
 
 28 BUILDERS 
 
 Little builders, build away! 
 Little builders, build to-day! 
 Build a temple pure and bright, 
 Build it up in deeds of light; 
 Lay the corner strong and deep, 
 Where the heart the truth shall keep; 
 Lay it with a builder's care, 
 For the temple resteth there. 
 
 If you want an honored name, 
 If you want a spotless fame, 
 Let your words be kind and pure, 
 And your temple shall endure; 
 Wisdom standeth at the door; 
 Come and see her priceless store; 
 Virtue gently guides your feet, 
 Where the good and holy meet. 
 
 — Selected 
 
 55 
 
 Read : Bible, Mark 10 : 43-44. 
 
 Sing : ' ' The Fountain, ' ' from Songs Every One Should 
 Know. 
 
 Birthday: Anna Elizabeth Dickinson, an American lec- 
 turer and author, born in Philadelphia, Pa., October 28, 
 1842 ; lives in New York. 
 
 Special Day: Arbor Day in Indiana (last Friday in 
 October). (See Arbor Day, April 19 and 20, this book.) 
 
 29 HAPPINESS 
 
 Laugh, and the world laughs with you; 
 
 Weep, and you weep alone; 
 For this brave old earth must borrow its mirth; 
 
 It has trouble enough of its own. 
 
 — Ella Wheeler Wilcox 
 
 Birthday: John Keats, a noted English poet, born in 
 London, England, October 29, 1795; died at Rome, Italy, 
 February 27, 1821. 
 
56 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 30 INDUSTRY 
 
 How doth the little busy bee 
 
 Improve each shining hour, 
 And gather honey all the day 
 
 From every opening flower? 
 
 — Isaac Watts 
 
 THE GRASSHOPPER AND THE BEE 
 
 A grasshopper, cold and hungry, came to a well-stored 
 beehive and humbly begged the bees for a few drops of 
 honey. 
 
 One of the bees asked him how he had spent his time 
 all the summer, and why he had not laid up a store of food 
 for the winter. 
 
 "Truly," said he, "I spent my time very merrily in 
 drinking, and dancing, and singing, and never thought 
 about the winter. ' ' 
 
 "Our plan is very different," said the bee. "We work 
 hard in summer, to lay by a store of food against the season 
 when we foresee that we shall need it; but those who do 
 nothing but dance and sing during the summer, must 
 expect to starve in winter." 
 
 This fable teaches that if we spend our time in idleness 
 we shall surely come to want. Sloth makes all things diffi- 
 cult, but industry makes all things easy. 
 
 Read: "The Ant and the Cricket," from Baldwin's 
 Fairy Stories and Fables; "The Beaver Story," from 
 Bake well's True Fairy Stories. 
 
 Sing: "The Secret of Success," from Uncle Sam's 
 School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: John Adams, second president of the 
 United States, born in Braintree, Mass., October 30, 1735 ; 
 died at Quincy, Mass., July 4, 1826, his son then being the 
 president. 
 
 Adelaide A. Proctor, British poet, born October 30, 1825 ; 
 died, 1864. 
 
OCTOBER 57 
 
 31 HALLOWE'EN 
 
 Up the airy mountain, 
 
 Down the rushy glen, 
 We daren't go a-hunting, 
 
 For fear of little men; 
 Wee folk, good folk, 
 
 Trooping all together; 
 Green jacket, red cap, 
 
 And white owl's feather! 
 
 — Wm. Allingham 
 
 ALL-HALLOW-EVEN [HALLOWE'EN] 
 The Eve of All Saints' Day 
 
 All-hallow-eve (or Even) is known in some places as 
 Nutcrack Night, or Snapapple Night. It is now usually 
 celebrated by children's parties, when certain special games 
 are played. In the country towns it is also a time of care- 
 less frolic, and of great bonfires. 
 
 The custom of keeping the night has come to us from the 
 Celts. The early inhabitants of Great Britain, Ireland, and 
 parts of France were known as Celts, and their religion 
 was directed by strange priests called Druids. Three times 
 in the year, on the first of May, for the sowing; at the 
 solstice, June 21st, for the ripening and turn of the year; 
 and on the eve of November 1st, for the harvesting, those 
 mysterious priests of the Celts, the Druids, built fires on 
 the hill-tops in France, Britain, and Ireland in honor of 
 the sun. This last festival was made a very solemn cere- 
 mony, the Druids of all the region gathering in their white 
 robes around the stone altar or cairn on the hill-top. On 
 the sacred cairn — which was a large mound of stones — was 
 a sacred fire, which had been kept burning through the 
 year. The Druids gathered around the fire, and, at a 
 signal, quenched it. Presently a new fire was kindled on 
 the cairn, and as it gleamed in the darkness, the people in 
 the valley raised a great shout and other fires from sur- 
 
58 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 rounding hill-tops answered the sacred flame. Then the 
 people were satisfied, for they believed everything was safe 
 for another year. 
 
 "When the Celts were converted to the Christian religion, 
 the harvest festival of the Druids became in the Catholic 
 Calendar the Eve of All Saints, for that is the meaning 
 of the name "All-hallow Eve." The custom of playing 
 pranks on Hallowe'en came from the old idea that this is 
 "witches' night," and that all the strange and wild powers 
 of the air are abroad to do mischief, but just when and 
 where the thought arose, no one seems to know. 
 
 Read: "Tamlane," from Jacobs' More English Fairy 
 Tales. 
 
 Sing : ' ' The Brownies, ' ' from Songs in Season. 
 
 Birthday : David Graham Phillips, an American author, 
 born in Madison, Ind., October 31, 1867 ; died January 24, 
 1911. 
 
 Special Day : Hallowe 'en. 
 
NOVEMBER 
 
 1 TRUST 
 
 The leaves are fading and falling, 
 
 The winds are rough and wild; 
 The birds have ceased their calling, 
 
 But let me tell you, my child, 
 
 Though day by day, as it closes, 
 
 Doth darker and colder grow, 
 The roots of the bright red roses 
 
 Will keep alive in the snow. 
 
 — Alice Cary 
 
 Birthday: Antonio Canova, a famous Italian sculptor, 
 born at Possagno, Italy, November 1, 1757 ; died in Venice, 
 October 13, 1822. 
 
 2 GENEROSITY 
 
 The truly generous is the truly wise; 
 And he who loves not others, lives unblest. 
 
 — Horace 
 
 A WAIF'S VIEW OF WEALTH 
 
 A little street waif was once at the house of a great 
 lady, and the childish eyes that had to look so sharply after 
 daily bread were dazzled by signs of splendor on every 
 hand. "Can you get everything you want?" the child 
 asked the mistress of the mansion. "Yes, I think so," was 
 the reply. "Can you buy anything you'd like to have?" 
 The lady answered, "Yes." And the child, who was of a 
 meditative turn of mind, looked at her half pityingly, and 
 said, wonderingly, "Don't you find it dull?" To the little 
 keen mind, accustomed to live bird-like from day to day, 
 
60 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 and to rejoice over a little supply with the delight born of 
 rarity, the aspect of continual plenty, and desires all grati- 
 fied by possession, contained an idea of monotony that 
 seemed almost wearisome. Many an owner of a well-filled 
 purse has found life "dull," and pronounced in the midst 
 of luxury that all things are vanity; but the hand that 
 knows how wisely to distribute and scatter abroad the 
 bounty possessed will never be without interest in life — 
 will never miss the sunshine that abides for kind and 
 unselfish hearts. — The Quiver 
 
 Read: "The Elves and the Shoemaker,' ' by Grimm; 
 "Doctor Goldsmith," in Baldwin's Fifty Famous Stories; 
 Bible, Psalm 23. 
 
 Sing : ' ' Help to Set the World Rejoicing, ' ' from Uncle 
 Sam's School Songs. 
 
 Birthday: James K. Polk, eleventh president of the 
 United States, born in Mecklenberg County, N. C, Novem- 
 ber 2, 1795 ; died in NashviUe, Tenn., June 15, 1849. 
 
 3 THE VALUE OF THINGS 
 
 Loveliest of lovely things are they 
 On earth that soonest pass away. 
 The rose that lives its little hour 
 Is prized beyond the sculptured flower. 
 
 — Bryant 
 
 WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT 
 
 To-day is the birthday of William Cullen Bryant, the 
 "poet of nature." He was born in Cummington, Mass. It 
 was soon discovered that the little fellow was very preco- 
 cious and the parents gave up all hope of his life. But his 
 father being a physician of considerable skill, decided to 
 put William through a severe treatment in order to save 
 his life. So each morning for a long time, summer and 
 
NOVEMBER 61 
 
 winter, the father took his son down to the spring behind 
 the barn and dipped him several times in the cold water. 
 This heroic treatment perhaps saved the child and gave 
 to the world one of its best poets. 
 
 Bryant wrote poetry at the age of eight years. In his 
 thirteenth year he wrote a satire on President Jefferson's 
 embargo on American shipping under the title "The Em- 
 bargo ; or Sketches of the Times. ' ' In his eighteenth year, 
 his best poem, ' * Thanatopsis, ' ' was written. Bryant was 
 essentially a poet of nature, his verse overflowing with what 
 Wordsworth terms "religion of the woods." After a long 
 and useful life, he died in the ' ' month of roses, ' ' according 
 to a wish he had often expressed. 
 
 Read: Selections from Bryant's poems. 
 
 Sing: "The Song of Nature," from Hanson's Gems of 
 Song. 
 
 Birthday: William Cullen Bryant, an American poet, 
 born in Cummington, Mass., November 3, 1794; died in 
 New York City, June 12, 1878. 
 
 4 PROCRASTINATION 
 
 There are no fragments so precious as those of time, 
 and none so heedlessly lost by people who can not make 
 a moment, and yet can waste years.— Montgomery 
 
 Read: Emerson's "Days;" "What Broke the China 
 Pitcher," from Howliston's Cat-Tails and Other Tales; 
 Bible, Eccl. 3 : 1. 
 
 Sing: "Rock of Ages." 
 
 Birthdays: James Montgomery, a British poet, born in 
 Ayrshire, Scotland, November 4, 1771 ; died near Sheffield, 
 Scotland, April 30, 1854. 
 
 Augustus M. Toplady, an English clergyman and author, 
 born at Farnham, Surrey, England, November 4, 1740; 
 
62 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 died in London, August 11, 1778. Best known as the author 
 of the hymn, "Rock of Ages." 
 
 5 CIVIC DUTY 
 
 The proudest now is but my peer, 
 
 The highest not more high; 
 To-day of all the weary year 
 
 A king of men am I. 
 
 To-day alike are great and small, 
 
 The nameless and the known; 
 My palace is the people's hall, 
 
 The ballot-box my throne! 
 
 — Whittier 
 
 Special Day : Election or Voting Day (the first Tuesday 
 after the first Monday in November). This day is now a 
 holiday, so that every man may have an opportunity to cast 
 his vote. What are the duties of a voter in a self-governing 
 country ? 
 
 1. To vote whenever it is his privilege. 
 
 2. To try to understand the questions upon which he votes. 
 
 3. To learn something about the character and fitness of the 
 men for whom he votes. 
 
 4. To vote only for honest men for office. 
 
 5. To support only honest measures. 
 
 6. To give no bribe, direct or indirect, and to receive no bribe 
 direct or indirect. 
 
 7. To place country above party. 
 
 8. To recognize the result of the election as the will of the 
 people and therefore as the law. 
 
 9. To continue to vote for a righteous although defeated cause 
 as long as there is reasonable hope of victory. — 8. E. Forman 
 
 6 LOYALTY TO OUE COUNTRY 
 
 Ye who love the Republic, remember the claim 
 Ye owe to her fortune, ye owe to her fame, 
 To her years of prosperity, past and in store, 
 The hundreds behind you, the thousands before. 
 
 — Eezekiah Butterworth 
 
NOVEMBER 63 
 
 THE FLAG GOES BY 
 
 BY HENRY H. BENNETT 
 
 Hats off! 
 Along the street there comes 
 A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums, 
 A flash of color beneath the sky. 
 
 Hats off! 
 The flag is passing by. 
 
 Blue and crimson and white it shines 
 Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines. 
 
 Hats off! 
 The colors before us fly; 
 But more than the flag is passing by. 
 
 Sea-fights and land-fights, grim and great, 
 Fought to make and save the state ; 
 Weary marches and sinking ships; 
 Cheers of victory on dying lips; 
 
 Days of plenty and years of peace ; 
 March of a strong land's swift increase; 
 Equal justice, right and law; 
 Stately honor and reverent awe, 
 
 Sign of a nation, great and strong 
 To ward her people from foreign wrong, 
 Pride and glory and honor, all 
 Live in the colors to stand or fall. 
 
 Hats off! 
 Along the street there comes 
 A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums, 
 And loyal hearts are beating high. 
 
 Hats off! 
 The flag is passing by! 
 
64 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Sing: "The Star-Spangled Banner;" play selections 
 from Paderewski. 
 
 Birthdays: Kate Greenaway, an English artist noted 
 for her pictures of children and of child life, born in Lon- 
 don, England, in 1846 ; died at London, November 6, 1901. 
 
 Ignace Jan Paderewski, a Russian pianist, born in 
 Podolie, Russian Poland, November 6, 1860. 
 
 7 AMBITION 
 
 The height of my ambition is only to find my place, 
 though it were but a sweeper of chimneys. 
 
 — Charles Kingsley 
 
 Read: " Don't Give Up" and " Suppose," by Phoebe 
 Cary; "The Two Foolish Birds," from Baldwin's Fairy 
 Stories and Fables. 
 
 8 NOBLE CONDUCT 
 
 He prayeth well, who loveth well 
 Both man and bird and beast. 
 He prayeth best who loveth best 
 All things both great and small, 
 For the dear God who loveth us — 
 He made and loveth all. 
 
 — From "Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge 
 
 HOW BABY ROBIN WAS SAVED 
 
 Mother Robin had built her nest in the eaves of one 
 of the very nicest apartment houses in Chicago. One day 
 Father Robin had some business to attend away from home, 
 so that Mother Robin was forced to go out into the world 
 in search of food and to leave Master Robin alone in his 
 eerie nursery. 
 
 And sure enough the baby got into mischief. He wiggled 
 his wings, and zip ! down he plunged toward the street. He 
 hit the pavement square in the middle of one of the busiest 
 motoring corners. A chauffeur stopped his big machine 
 
NOVEMBER 65 
 
 abruptly. Other machines behind him halted, and soon a 
 half hundred motor cars were tangled at the corner. 
 
 Policemen came and tried to remove the cause of the con- 
 gestion, but baby robin had just enough strength left in 
 his wings to dodge. A policeman then called a small boy 
 to his aid. That settled Master Robin's holiday. The boy 
 nabbed him in a twinkling, and soon the little robin was 
 back in his nest. 
 
 9 THOBOUGHNESS 
 
 Work while you work, play while you play; 
 This is the way to be cheerful and gay. 
 All that you do, do with your might; 
 Things done by halves are never done right. 
 
 One thing each time, and that done well, 
 Is a very good rule, as many can tell; 
 Moments are useless, trifled away; 
 So work while you work, and play while you play. 
 
 — Miss A. D. Stoddart 
 
 10 TRUE WORTH 
 
 Four things a man must learn to do, 
 If he would make his calling true, — 
 To think without confusion clearly, 
 To love his fellow-men sincerely, 
 To act from honest motives purely, 
 To trust in God and heaven securely. 
 — Henry Van Dyke 
 
 TWO MEN OF WORTH 
 
 In Switzerland, many years ago, a man called Frank 
 went to his neighbor, William, who was working in his 
 field, and said : ' ' Friend, I have received word that we are 
 to go before the judges to-morrow, who will decide our 
 dispute about the field, since we cannot agree ourselves. ' ' 
 
 "You see," said William, "that I have mown this field 
 and must get my hay in; I cannot leave it." 
 
 "Well," said Frank, "I cannot send the judges away." 
 
 They discussed the matter for some time. At length 
 
66 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 William said: "I will tell you how it shall be: you go to 
 the judges and tell them your case and mine; then there 
 will be no need for me to go." 
 
 "Well," said the other, "if you will trust your cause 
 with me, I will do so. " 
 
 He accordingly went, pleaded the case, and lost. Return- 
 ing to his neighbor, he said: "The field is yours. I con- 
 gratulate you, neighbor. I am glad the affair is over." 
 
 The two men were firm friends ever after. 
 
 Bead: "The Farmer and His Sons," and "The Quar- 
 rel, ' ' from Baldwin 's Fairy Stories and Fables. 
 
 Sing: "Morning Song," from Kellogg 's Best Primary 
 Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Martin Luther, the leader of the Reforma- 
 tion in Germany, born at Eisleben, Germany, November 10, 
 1483 ; died at Eisleben, February 18, 1546. 
 
 Oliver Goldsmith, a famous English author, born in Pal- 
 lasmore, Ireland, November 10, 1728 ; died in London, Eng- 
 land, April 4, 1774. 
 
 Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller, a famous Ger- 
 man poet, born at Marbach, Wiirtemberg, November 10, 
 1759 ; died at Weimar, May 9, 1805. 
 
 Joaquin Miller, the pen-name of Cincinnatus Heine Mil- 
 ler, an American author, born in Wabash District, Indiana, 
 November 10, 1841. 
 
 Henry Van Dyke, an American clergyman and author, 
 born at Germantown, Pa., November 10, 1852; lives in 
 Princeton, N. J. 
 
 Winston Churchill, an American novelist, born in St. 
 Louis, Mo., November 10, 1871 ; living at Cornish, N. H. 
 
 11 HUMILITY 
 
 For praise too dearly loved, or warmly sought, 
 Enfeebles all internal strength of thought; 
 And the weak soul within itself unblest, 
 Leans for all pleasure on another's breast. 
 
 — Goldsmith 
 
NOVEMBER 67 
 
 STOOP AS YOU GO THROUGH 
 
 Benjamin Franklin, the son of a tallow-chandler, the 
 printer's apprentice, the printer, the philosopher, and the 
 patriot, wrote the following incident of his visit, when a 
 young man, to the celebrated Cotton Mather, a clergyman 
 of New England. The letter was written to Cotton Mather's 
 son. 
 
 ' 'The last time I saw your father was in the beginning 
 of 1724, when I visited him after my first trip to Penn- 
 sylvania. He received me in the library, and, on my taking 
 leave, showed me a shorter way out of his house, through 
 a narrow passage, which was crossed by a beam overhead. 
 We were still talking as I withdrew, he accompanying be- 
 hind, and I turning partly toward him, when he said hastily, 
 'Stoop, stoop!' I did not understand him till I felt my 
 head hit against the beam. He was a man that never missed 
 any occasion of giving instruction ; and, upon this, he said, 
 'You are young, and have the world before you. Stoop as 
 you go through it, and you will miss many hard thumps.' 
 This advice, thus beat into my head, has frequently been of 
 use to me ; and I often think of it when I see pride morti- 
 fied, and misfortunes brought upon people by carrying their 
 heads too high. ' ' Before honor is humility. 
 
 Birthday: Thomas Bailey Aldrich, an American poet 
 and novelist, born in Portsmouth, N. H., November 11, 1836 ; 
 died in Boston, Mass., March 19, 1907. 
 
 12 FOEGIYENESS 
 
 He that cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over 
 which he must pass himself; for every man has need to 
 be forgiven. — Lord Herbert 
 
 A QUARREL SOON ENDED 
 
 Two dogs began to quarrel over a bone that had been 
 thrown to one of them. They were fighting on a bridge 
 
68 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 and before they knew it, both had fallen into the water. 
 One of them was a Newfoundland dog, and swam easily 
 to shore, but when he looked for his enemy he saw him still 
 struggling in the water. This dog could not swim, and he 
 was about to drown, when the Newfoundland dog plunged 
 in and brought him safely to shore. They forgave each 
 other then and became great friends. 
 
 Read: "The Sympathy of Abraham Lincoln" and "A 
 Hero of Valley Forge," from Baldwin's An American 
 Book of Golden Deeds; Bible, Matt. 5 : 7-9 and 43-48. 
 
 Sing: "Good Advice," from Merry Melodies. 
 
 13 HAPPINESS 
 
 Happy hearts and happy faces, 
 Happy play in grassy places — 
 That was how, in ancient ages, 
 Children grew to kings and sages. 
 — Robert Louis Stevenson 
 
 PRAYER AT MORNING 
 
 BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON 
 
 The day returns and brings us the petty round of irritat- 
 ing concerns and duties. Help us to perform them with 
 laughter and kind faces, let cheerfulness abound with 
 industry. Give us to go blithely on our business all this 
 day, bring us to our resting beds weary and content and 
 undishonored, and grant us in the end the gift of sleep. 
 
 Read: Selections from Stevenson's A Child's Garden of 
 Verses. 
 
 Sing: Selections from Robert Louis Stevenson Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Joseph Hooker, an American general, born 
 in Hadley, Mass., November 13, 1814; died at Garden City, 
 ■N. Y., October 31, 1879. 
 
 Edwin Thomas Booth, a noted American tragic actor, 
 
NOVEMBER 69 
 
 born at Bel Air, Md., November 13, 1833; died June 7, 
 1893. (John Wilkes Booth (1839-1865), a younger brother, 
 was the assassin of President Lincoln.) 
 
 Eobert Louis Stevenson, a noted Scottish novelist and 
 story writer, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, November 13, 
 1850; died at Apia, Samoa, December 3, 1894. 
 
 14 SELF-CONTKOL 
 
 How happy is he born or taught, 
 Whose passions not his master are; 
 Lord of himself, though not of lands, 
 And having nothing, yet hath all! 
 
 — Sir Henry Wotton 
 
 THE ECHO 
 
 Little Peter had never heard of the Echo which lives 
 among the woods and rocks, and repeats the very words 
 we speak. One day while walking in a field near a wood, 
 he saw a squirrel running among the bushes. ' ' Ho ! Stop 
 there!" he cried. Something in the woods answered him 
 back, "Ho! Stop there!" Astonished, Peter shouted out, 
 ' ' Who are you ? ' ' The word came back, ' ' Who are you ? ' ' — 
 "You are a fool," he answered. "You are a fool," was 
 echoed back loud and clear from the wood. Peter grew 
 angry, for he thought some saucy boy was hidden behind 
 the trees. Then he poured out all the hard ugly names 
 he could think of, but the Echo sent them all back to him 
 in mocking tones. 
 
 "He shall learn not to call me names," he said to 
 himself, as he picked up a stick and ran toward the wood. 
 Peter wandered in the wood a long time, but found no 
 one. Tired and vexed, he went home and complained to 
 his mother that a naughty boy, who had been calling him 
 names, was hiding in the wood. 
 
 "You have been angry with your own self," said his 
 
70 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 mother. ' ' It was only your own voice that made the sound, 
 and you heard only the echo of your own words. If you 
 had spoken kind words, kind words would have come back 
 to you from the wood. ' ' 
 
 — White's School Management 
 
 15 SERVICE 
 
 Not what we give, but what we share, 
 
 For the gift without the giver is bare; 
 
 Who gives himself with his alms feeds three, — 
 
 Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me. 
 
 — Lowell 
 
 Birthdays : William Pitt, first earl of Chatham, an Eng- 
 lish statesman, born November 15, 1708; died at Hayes, 
 Kent, England, May 11, 1778. 
 
 Sir William Herschel, a noted English astronomer, born 
 in Hanover, Prussia, November 15, 1738 ; died at his home 
 at Slough, near Windsor, England, August 23, 1822. 
 
 16 TRUTH 
 
 Dare to be true; nothing can need a lie. 
 A fault which needs it most grows two thereby. 
 
 — George Herbert 
 
 THE PRICE OF A LIE 
 
 If we are under no moral obligation to fulfill a promise 
 made to do a wrong, there can be no dishonor in refusing 
 its performance. Dishonor belongs to those who persist in 
 doing wrong after they have discovered the right. 
 
 " Would you tell a lie for three cents?" asked a teacher 
 of one of her boys. "No, ma'am," answered Dick, very 
 promptly. "For ten cents?" "No, ma'am." "For a 
 dollar ? " " No, ma 'am. " ' ' For a hundred dollars f " "No, 
 "For a thousand dollars?" 
 
NOVEMBER 71 
 
 Here Dick was staggered. A thousand dollars looked like 
 such a very big sum. Oh! what lots of things he could 
 buy with a thousand dollars. While he was thinking about 
 it, and trying to make up his mind whether it would pay 
 to tell a lie for a thousand dollars, a boy behind him cried 
 out: "No, ma'am." ''Why not?" asked the teacher. 
 
 Now, mark this boy 's answer, and do not forget it. ' ' Be- 
 cause, ma'am," said he, "the lie sticks. When the thou- 
 sand dollars are all gone, and the good things bought with 
 them are all gone, too, the lie is there all the same." 
 
 And when we tell a lie we never can tell where the injury 
 that springs from it will stop. It is just like loosening a 
 great rock at the top of a mountain and letting it go rolling 
 and plunging down the side of the mountain. Nobody can 
 tell how far it will go, nor how much injury it will do 
 before it stops rolling. 
 
 Read: "Little Scotch Granite," from White's School 
 Management. 
 
 17 HUMILITY 
 
 The very flowers that bend and meet, 
 In sweetening others grow more sweet. 
 
 — Holmes 
 
 18 JUSTICE 
 
 Be just and fear not; 
 Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, 
 Thy God's, and truth's. 
 
 — Shakespeare 
 
 Read: "The Bell of Atri," from Baldwin's Fifty 
 Famous Stories Retold. 
 
 Birthdays: Asa Gray, an American botanist, born in 
 Paris, Oneida County, N. Y., November 18, 1810; died at 
 Cambridge, Mass., January 30, 1888. 
 
 William S. Gilbert, an English dramatist, born in London, 
 England, November 18, 1836; drowned at Harrow, Eng- 
 land, May 29, 1911. 
 
72 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 19 WISDOM 
 
 Next in importance to freedom and justice is popu- 
 lar education, without which neither justice nor free- 
 dom can be permanently maintained. — James A. Garfield 
 
 THE CAEEFUL OBSERVER 
 
 BY COLTON 
 
 A dervish was journeying alone in a desert, when two 
 merchants suddenly met him. "You have lost a camel," 
 said he to the merchants. "Indeed we have," they replied. 
 
 "Was he not blind in his right eye, and lame in his left 
 leg ? " said the dervish. ' ' He was, ' ' replied the merchants. 
 "Had he not lost a front tooth?" "He had," said the 
 merchants. "And was he not loaded with honey on one 
 side, and with corn on the other?" "Most certainly he 
 was," they replied; "and, as you have seen him so lately, 
 and marked him so particularly, you can, in all probability, 
 conduct us to him. ' ' 
 
 "My friends," said the dervish, "I have never seen 
 your camel, nor ever heard of him, but from you!" "A 
 pretty story, truly," said the merchants; "but where are 
 the jewels which formed a part of his burden ? " "I have 
 seen neither your camel nor your jewels," repeated the 
 dervish. 
 
 On this, they seized his person, and forthwith hurried 
 him before the cadi; but, on the strictest search, nothing 
 could be found upon him, nor could any evidence whatever 
 be adduced to convict him either of falsehood or of theft. 
 
 They were about to proceed against him as a sorcerer, 
 when the dervish, with great calmness, thus addressed the 
 court : "I have been much amused with your surprise, and 
 own that there has been some ground for your suspicions ; 
 but I have lived long and alone, and I can find ample 
 scope for observation even in a desert. 
 
 "I knew that I had crossed the track of a camel that 
 had strayed from its owner, because I saw no mark of any 
 
NOVEMBER 73 
 
 human footstep on the same route. I knew that the animal 
 was blind of one eye, because it had cropped the herbage 
 only on one side of its path; and that it was lame in one 
 leg, from the faint impression which that particular foot 
 had produced upon the sand. 
 
 "I concluded that the animal had lost one tooth, because, 
 wherever it had grazed, a small tuft of herbage had been 
 left uninjured in the center of its bite. As to that which 
 formed the burden of the beast, the busy ants informed 
 me that it was corn on the one side; and the clustering 
 flies, that it was honey on the other." 
 
 Birthdays: Albert Bertel Tborwaldsen, a Danish sculp- 
 tor, born at sea, November 19, 1770; died in Copenhagen, 
 Denmark, March 24, 1844. 
 
 James A. Garfield, an American general and statesman, 
 and twentieth president of the United States, born in 
 Orange, Ohio, November 19, 1831 ; shot by an assassin in 
 Washington, D. C, July 2, 1881. 
 
 20 MOTHER 
 
 Hundreds of stars in the silent sky, 
 Hundreds of shells on the shore together, 
 Hundreds of birds that go singing by, 
 Hundreds of bees in the sunny weather; 
 Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn, 
 Hundreds of lambs in the purple clover, 
 Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn — 
 But only one mother the wide world over. 
 
 Birthday: Peregrine White, the first child of English 
 parents born in New England, born on the Mayflower, 
 November 20, 1620 ; he died July 20, 1704. 
 
 21 PATRIOTISM 
 
 He who serves his country well has no need of an- 
 cestors. — Voltaire 
 
74 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Read: "William Tell," from Baldwin's Fifty Famous 
 Stories Retold; ' ■ Lexington, ' ' by Holmes. 
 
 Sing: "America." 
 
 Birthday: Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire, a famous 
 French writer, born in Paris, France, November 21, 1694 ; 
 died in Paris, May 30, 1778. 
 
 22 PATIENCE 
 
 It is easy finding reasons why other folks should be 
 patient. — George Eliot 
 
 PEGGING AWAY DID IT 
 
 A friend once said to President Lincoln: "Do you 
 expect to end this war during your administration V ' Mr. 
 Lincoln replied: "I do not know, sir." "But Mr. Lin- 
 coln, what do you mean to do?" "Peg away, sir; peg 
 away, keep pegging away!" Pegging away did it. 
 
 Read: "Wait and See," from Poulsson's In the Child's 
 World. "The Little Rooster," from Boston Collection of 
 Kindergarten Stories. 
 
 Birthday: Robert Cavelier de La Salle, a noted French 
 navigator, born in Rouen, France, November 22, 1643; shot 
 when near a branch of the Trinity River in Texas, March 
 19, 1687. 
 
 Philip Schuyler, an American general, born at Albany, 
 N. Y., November 22, 1733; died at Albany, November 18, 
 1804. 
 
 George Eliot, the assumed name of Mary Ann Evans, a 
 famous English writer of novels, born at Arbury Farm, 
 Derbyshire, England, November 22, 1819; died December 
 22, 1880. 
 
 23 HONOR 
 
 Honor and shame from no condition rise, 
 Act well your part, there all the honor lies. 
 
 — Pope 
 
NOVEMBER 75 
 
 Birthday: Franklin Pierce, the fourteenth president 
 of the United States, born in Hillsborough, N. H., November 
 23, 1804; died in Concord, Mass., October 8, 1869. 
 
 Special Days : Arbor Day in South Carolina (third Fri- 
 day in November). 
 
 Arbor Day in West Virginia (third Friday in November 
 and April). (See Arbor Day, April 19 and 20, this book.) 
 
 24 HEEOISM 
 
 Heroism is simple, and yet it is rare. Every one who 
 does the best he can is a hero. — Josh Billings 
 
 GRACE DARLING 
 
 To-day is the birthday of Grace Darling, an English girl, 
 who did so brave a deed that her name is known wherever 
 the English language is spoken. The desolute Fame 
 Islands lie off the northeast coast of Northumberland — a 
 group of stern basaltic rocks, black and bare, with a dan- 
 gerous sea roaring about them. In stormy weather they 
 are inaccessible for days and weeks together. They have 
 no other inhabitants but the gulls and puffins that scream 
 about the rocks. But on the farthest point, the Longstone 
 Rock, a lighthouse had been erected to warn off the ships 
 passing between England and Scotland. Two old persons — ■ 
 a man and his wife — and a young woman, their daughter- 
 Grace Darling — were the keepers of the lighthouse. 
 
 One night in September, 1838, a steamer was wrecked 
 near the lighthouse, and in the morning Grace saw some 
 people clinging to the rocks or to the fragments of the 
 vessel. The fog was so heavy and the sea so rough that 
 Mr. Darling was afraid to go to the rescue, but Grace per- 
 suaded him to launch a boat. Then followed the greatest 
 struggle of their lives. The wind beat against them, the 
 waves dashed over them, but they cared not for all this. 
 
 When they reached the wrecked vessel, only nine of the 
 sixty-three unfortunate beings were alive. These they took 
 
76 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 into their boat and started on the return trip. The rescued 
 men were so weak with cold and hunger and thirst that not 
 one was able to use an oar, and it was only after a terrible 
 struggle that Grace and her father were able to reach their 
 lighthouse home. There the mother was ready to receive 
 them, to nurse them, to feed them, and to restore them to 
 health and strength. They remained there for three days, 
 until the storm abated, and they could be carried to the 
 mainland. For this brave act a subscription of £700 
 ($3,500) was raised for Grace Darling, and she received 
 many other valuable presents. When she died her friends 
 placed a marble monument over her grave. 
 
 Read : Wordsworth 's ' ' Grace Darling. ' ' 
 
 Birthdays: Zachary Taylor, general and twelfth presi- 
 dent of the United States, born in Orange County, Va., 
 November 24, 1784; died in Washington, D. C, July 9, 
 1850. 
 
 Grace Darling, an English heroine, born at Bamborough, 
 Northumberland, November 24, 1815; died October 20, 
 1842. 
 
 Frances Hodgson Burnett, an American novelist, born 
 in Manchester, England, November 24, 1849; living in 
 Washington, D. C. Best known to young folks by her 
 beautiful story called Little Lord Fauntleroy. 
 
 25 HONESTY 
 
 He that cannot think is a fool; 
 He that will not think is a bigot; 
 He that dare not is a slave. 
 
 — Carnegie 
 
 THE STORY OF ANDREW CARNEGIE 
 
 There was once a young Scotch boy, the son of a weaver. 
 He was born poor, in a story-and-a-half house. He came 
 to this country with the rest of his father's family when 
 
NOVEMBER 77 
 
 lie was ten, and commenced on a job that paid him 20 cents 
 a day. 
 
 Faithful work as a bobbin boy soon procured him a posi- 
 tion that earned him almost a dollar a day. His attentive- 
 ness to what was given him to do brought him after a little 
 while to the attention of a railroad man who was a large 
 employer of help. 
 
 He had in the meantime been economizing his small 
 earnings, out of which it was suggested to him that he 
 take a little stock in a car company. He hadn't enough 
 money and no security to offer, but resolved to apply to the 
 bank for a loan. 
 
 What happened when he went to the bank is what I 
 want the boys particularly to notice, for it really marks the 
 crisis in the young fellow 's life and explains what followed 
 during the years after. 
 
 I just said that in asking for a loan he had nothing that 
 he could offer as security ; that is, he owned nothing that 
 he could make over to the bank in case he failed to return 
 the loan. Security of the ordinary kind he did not have, 
 but he had something that was just as satisfactory to the 
 banker, for he had a character for honesty, faithfulness 
 and perseverance, and the banker said to him : ' ■ You shall 
 have the money, Andy. ' ' 
 
 That $600 was the turning point in Andrew Carnegie's 
 life and was the nest-egg that in course of time filled the 
 nest with so many eggs that it would take a string of figures 
 to count them. — Adapted from Dr. Charles H. Parkhurst 
 
 Sing: "You Never Miss the ■Water," from Uncle Sam's 
 School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: John Bigelow, an American editor and dip- 
 lomatist, born in Maiden, Ulster County, N. Y., November 
 25, 1817 ; died December 19, 1911. 
 
 Andrew Carnegie, an American capitalist and philan- 
 thropist, born in Dunfermline, Scotland, November 25, 
 1835. 
 
78 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 26 THANKSGIVING 
 
 And we, to-day, amidst our flowers 
 
 And fruits, have come to own again 
 The blessings of the summer hours, 
 
 The early and the latter rain; 
 To see our Father's hand once more 
 
 Reverse for us the plenteous horn 
 Of autumn, filled and running o'er 
 
 With fruit, and flower, and golden corn! 
 
 — Whittier 
 
 Read: "The Landing of the Pilgrims/' by Felicia 
 Hemans; "The First Thanksgiving Day," from Wiggin 
 and Smith's The Story Hour; "How Patty Gave Thanks," 
 from Poulsson's In the Child's World; "The Story of the 
 First Corn," from Bailey and Lewis' For the Children's 
 Hour; Bible, Psalm 100. For Thanksgiving selections, pro- 
 cure a copy of Sindelar's Thanksgiving Entertainments. 
 
 Sing : ' ' Thanksgiving Day ' ' and ' ' Thanksgiving Joys, ' ' 
 from Songs in Season. 
 
 Birthday : William Cowper, a noted English poet, born 
 in Hertfordshire, England, November 26, 1731 ; died at 
 East Dereham, Norfolk, England, April 25, 1800. 
 
 Special Day: Thanksgiving Day (last Thursday in 
 November) . 
 
 27 THANKSGIVING 
 
 [Continued] 
 
 Over the river and through the wood 
 
 To grandfather's house we'll go; 
 
 The horse knows the way 
 
 To carry the sleigh 
 
 Through the white and drifted snow. 
 
 Over the river and through the wood, 
 
 Trot fast, my dapple gray! 
 
 Spring over the ground 
 
 Like a hunting hound! 
 
 For this is Thanksgiving Day. 
 
 — Selected 
 
NOVEMBER 79 
 
 28 FRIENDSHIP 
 
 When you find one good and true, 
 Change not the old friend for the new. 
 
 Birthday: Anton Rubinstein, a famous Russian pianist 
 and composer, born in Volhynia, Russia, November 28, 
 1829 ; died at Peterhof , Russia, November 20, 1894. 
 
 29 FAITHFULNESS 
 
 Faithfulness in little things fits one for heroism when 
 the great trials come. — Louisa May Alcott 
 
 Read : Selections from the Louisa Alcott Reader. 
 
 Birthdays: Wendell Phillips, a noted American orator, 
 born in Boston, Mass., November 29, 1811 ; died in Boston, 
 February 2, 1884. 
 
 Louisa May Alcott, an American author, born in German- 
 town, Pa., November 29, 1832; died in Concord, Mass., 
 March 6, 1888. 
 
 30 PERSEVERANCE 
 
 My son, observe the postage stamp! Its usefulness 
 depends upon its ability to stick to one thing until it 
 gets there. — Josh Billings 
 
 THE LAYING OF THE TELEGRAPH-CABLE 
 
 Cyrus W. Field became a clerk in New York when 
 fifteen years old, and in a few years was at the head of a 
 large mercantile house. When he got rich he gave up 
 his business, and devoted himself to a plan for the laying 
 of a telegraphic cable under the ocean between Europe and 
 America. The first two attempts were disappointments; 
 the third time was successful, and several messages were 
 flashed across. Everybody rejoiced, but in a little while 
 the messages stopped, the cable ceased working, and people 
 began to say that it never could be laid. Field alone kept 
 
80 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 up a brave heart. Seven years passed by, and the Great 
 Eastern steamed off with a new cable; but soon the ill 
 tidings came that by a sudden lurch of the ship the cable 
 was broken in mid-ocean. After this people lost all patience 
 with Field's plans, but with the resolved will of a hero, 
 he succeeded in 1866 in uniting the two hemispheres, amid 
 the rejoicings and congratulations of the world. He accom- 
 plished his purpose because he would not give up. When 
 the cable was laid, Mr. Field said of his trials: ''It has 
 been a long and hard struggle to lay the Atlantic telegraph 
 — nearly thirteen years of anxious watching and ceaseless 
 toil. Often has my heart been ready to sink. I have some- 
 times almost accused myself of madness for sacrificing all 
 my home comforts for what might, after all, prove a dream. 
 I have seen my companions one after another fall by my 
 side, and feared that I, too, might not live to see the end. 
 I have often prayed that I might not taste of death till this 
 work was accomplished. That prayer is now answered.' ' 
 
 Sing: "Work, for the Night is Coming" or "Life is 
 Real, Life is Earnest," from Uncle Sam's School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Jonathan Swift, a British writer, born in 
 Dublin, Ireland, November 30, 1667, of English ancestry; 
 died October 19, 1735. Author of Gulliver's Travels. 
 
 Cyrus W. Field, an American merchant, famous for 
 laying the telegraph-cable between Europe and America, 
 born in Stockbridge, Mass., November 30, 1819 ; died July 
 11, 1892. 
 
 Mark Twain, the pen-name of Samuel Langhorne 
 Clemens, a noted American author and humorist, born at 
 Florida, Mo., November 30, 1835 ; died at his summer home 
 in Reading Ridge, Conn., April 21, 1910. 
 
DECEMBER 
 
 1 FLATTERY 
 
 Flattery is like a painted armor; only for show. 
 
 — Socrates 
 
 FLATTERERS AND SLANDERERS 
 
 The response of Diogenes, the ancient Greek philosopher, 
 to the question, ' ' What beast 's bite is the most dangerous 1 ' ' 
 was "If you mean wild beasts, the slanderer's; if tame 
 ones, the flatterer's." 
 
 Birthday: Clarke Mills, an American sculptor, born in 
 Onondaga County, N. Y., December 1, 1815 ; died in Wash- 
 ington, D. C, January 12, 1883. 
 
 Special Day: Arbor Day in Georgia (first Friday in 
 December). (See Arbor Day, April 19 and 20, this book.) 
 
 2 PUEPOSE 
 
 But whatever you are, be true, boys! 
 Be visible through and through, boys! 
 Leave to others the shamming, 
 The cheating and palming, 
 In fun and in earnest, be true, boys! 
 
 — Mackay 
 
 "WHAT SHALL I DO?" 
 
 ' ' What shall I do ? " My boy, don 't stand asking ; 
 
 Take hold of something — whatever you can; 
 Don't turn aside for the toiling or tasking; 
 
 Idle, soft hands never yet made a man. 
 
82 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Grasp with a will whatever needs doing; 
 
 Still stand ready, when one work is done, 
 Another to seize, then still pursuing 
 
 In duty your course, find the victory won. 
 
 Do your best for to-day, trust God for to-morrow ; 
 
 Don 't be afraid of a jest or a sneer ; 
 Be cheerful and hopeful, and no trouble borrow ; 
 
 Keep the heart true, and the head cool and clear. 
 
 If you can climb to the top without falling, 
 
 Do it. If not, go as high as you can. 
 Man is not honored by business or calling; 
 
 Business and calling are honored by man. 
 
 — Selected 
 
 Sing: "Good Resolutions, ' ' from Uncle Sam's School 
 Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Hernando Cortes, the conqueror of Mexico, 
 born in Medellin, Spain, in 1485 ; died near Seville, Spain, 
 December 2, 1547. 
 
 Richard Montgomery, an American general, born near 
 Raphoe, Ireland, December 2, 1736; killed by a cannon- 
 ball, December 31, 1775. 
 
 3 TRUE WORTH 
 
 True worth is in being, not seeming, — 
 
 In doing each day that goes by 
 Some little good — not in the dreaming 
 
 Of great tilings to do by and by. 
 For whatever men say in blindness, 
 
 And spite of the fancies of youth, 
 There's nothing so kingly as kindness, 
 
 And nothing so royal as truth. 
 
 — Alice Cary 
 
 ROBERT BURNS AND THE FARMER 
 
 Robert Burns was once taken to task by a young Edin- 
 burgh nobleman, with whom he was walking, for recog- 
 
DECEMBER g3 
 
 nizing an honest farmer in the street. "Why, you fantastic 
 gomeral ! ' ' exclaimed Burns, ' ' it was not the great coat, the 
 scone bonnet, and the saunders-boot hose that I spoke to, 
 but the man that was in them; and the man, sir, for true 
 worth, would weigh down you and me, and ten more such, 
 any day." 
 
 Read: "The Magnet's Choice/' from Howliston's Cat- 
 Tails and Other Tales; "Naughty Little Gold Finger," 
 from Boston Collection of Kindergarten Stories, Bible, 
 Prov. 22 : 1-2. 
 
 Sing: "The Fountain," from Songs Every One Should 
 Know. 
 
 Birthdays: Mary Baker Glover Eddy, the founder of 
 Christian Science, born at Bow, N. H., July 16, 1821 ; 
 died December 3, 1910. 
 
 George B. McClellan, an American general, born in 
 Philadelphia, Pa., December 3, 1826; died at Orange, N. 
 J., October 29, 1885. 
 
 4 WORK 
 
 There is always hope in a man that actually and 
 earnestly works. In idleness alone is there perpetual 
 despair. — Garlyle 
 
 Birthday: Thomas Carlyle, an English author, born in 
 Ecclefechan, Scotland, December 4, 1795; died in Chelsea, 
 London, England, February 5, 1881. 
 
 5 YOUTH 
 
 My boy, I'd give the world, if it were mine, 
 
 To backward turn the dial of time 
 
 And be a boy again, with heart like thine; 
 
 To quaff again the cup, care free — 
 
 To play the pranks that thou dost play on me, 
 
 And laugh the laugh the boyhood's sportive glee; 
 
 To chase each gold-winged butterfly I meet, 
 
 To feel the green grass kiss my sun -browned feet, 
 
 To look on life as but a poem sweet. 
 
84 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Be not too swift to run thy boyish race — 
 
 Too soon will come the time, though slow the pace, 
 
 When care will mark its furrows on thy face. 
 
 Youth comes but once; we may not change the plan; 
 
 Enjoy these clays — the only ones that can 
 
 Reward the sufferings - of the grown-up man. 
 
 — A. E. Jackson 
 
 Sing: "Follow Me, Full of Glee," from Kellogg 's Best 
 Primary Songs. 
 
 Birthday: Martin Van Buren, eighth president of the 
 United States, born at Kinderhook, N. Y., December 5, 
 1782 ; died at Kinderhook, July 24, 1862. 
 
 George A. Custer, an American soldier, born at New 
 Rumley, Ohio, December 5, 1839 ; killed while in command 
 of an expedition against the Sioux Indians, June 25, 1876. 
 
 6 USEFULNESS 
 
 No one is useless in this world who lightens the 
 burden of another. — Dickens 
 
 LITTLE THINGS 
 
 BY EBENEZER C. BREWER 
 
 Little drops of water, 
 
 Little grains of sand, 
 Make the mighty ocean, 
 
 And the pleasant land. 
 
 Thus the little minutes 
 
 Humble though they be, 
 Make the mighty ages 
 
 Of eternity. 
 
 7 UNKIND WORDS 
 
 Oh, many a shaft at random sent 
 Finds mark the archer little meant, 
 And many a word at random spoken 
 May soothe, or wound a heart that's broken. 
 
 — Scott 
 
DECEMBER 85 
 
 A DINNER OF TONGUES 
 
 ^Esop was the servant of a philosopher named Xanthus. 
 One day his master being desirous of entertaining some of 
 his friends to dinner, he ordered him to provide the best 
 things he could find in the market, ^sop thereupon made 
 a large provision of tongues, which he had the cook serve 
 up with different sauces. When dinner came, all the 
 courses and side dishes were of tongues. 
 
 ' 'Did I not order you," said Xanthus, in a violent 
 passion, "to buy the best victuals which the market 
 afforded?" 
 
 "And have I not obeyed your orders?" said yEsop. "Is 
 there anything better than tongues? Is not the tongue the 
 bond of civil society, the key of science, and the organ of 
 truth and reason? It is by means of the tongue cities are 
 built, and governments established and administered; with 
 it men instruct, persuade, and preside in assemblies." 
 
 "Well, then," replied Xanthus, "go to market to-morrow 
 and buy me the worst things you can find. This same 
 company shall dine with me, and I have a mind to change 
 my entertainment." 
 
 When Xanthus assembled his friends the next day, he 
 was astonished to find that ^Esop had provided nothing 
 but the very same dishes. 
 
 "Did I not tell you," said Xanthus, "to purchase the 
 worst things for this day's feast? How comes it, then, 
 that you have placed before us the same kind of food, 
 which only yesterday, you declared to be the very best?" 
 
 ^Esop, not at all abashed, replied: "The tongue is the 
 worst thing in the world as well as the best; for it is the 
 instrument of all strife and contention, the fomenter of 
 law-suits, the source of division and war, the organ of error, 
 of calumny, of falsehood, and even of profanity. ' ' 
 
 Read: "The Fairy Who Judged Her Neighbors," from 
 Ingelow's Three Fairy Stories. 
 
86 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 8 PEBSEVEEANCE 
 
 If little labor, little are our gains; 
 Man's fortunes are according to his pains. 
 
 — Herrick 
 
 ELI WHITNEY AND THE COTTON-GIN 
 
 Eli Whitney when a boy earned his living by making 
 nails by hand. By careful economy he was enabled to 
 pay his way through Yale College, from which he graduated 
 in 1792. He then went to Georgia to become a tutor, but 
 found the expected place filled, and accordingly sought em- 
 ployment on the plantation of the widow of General 
 Nathaniel Greene, near Savannah. There he developed 
 much inventive talent, and at Mrs. Greene's suggestion 
 undertook to devise a machine which would do the work 
 of cleaning cotton and separating it from the seed. He 
 devoted a winter to the task, and the result was the 
 machine which he called the cotton-gin. This machine 
 would do in a few days the work which it formerly took 
 a hundred men many weeks to do. When the machine was 
 perfected, in 1793, he showed it to nobody but Mrs. Greene 
 and one other person, but it soon became talked about, the 
 building which contained it was broken open at night and 
 the model was stolen. Before he could make another and 
 get a patent upon it, several of the machines were at work 
 on neighboring plantations. This theft compelled him to 
 resort to many law-suits in a vain effort to protect his 
 rights. The net result was that Mr. Whitney never received 
 any fair return for one of the greatest inventions of the 
 age and one which did more for the Southern States than 
 any other. Thus robbed by his beneficiaries, Mr. Whitney 
 returned to New England in 1798, and engaged in the 
 manufacture of firearms, in which he was very successful. 
 
 Birthdays : Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton-gin, born 
 in Westborough, Mass., December 8, 1765; died in New 
 Haven, Conn., January 8, 1825. 
 
DECEMBER 87 
 
 George Alfred Henty, an English writer of novels and 
 stories for young folks, born at Trumpington, near Cam- 
 bridge, England, December 8, 1832; died November 16, 
 1902. 
 
 Bjornstjerne Bjornson, a famous Norwegian dramatist 
 and novelist, born at Koikne, Osterdalen, Norway, Decem- 
 ber 8, 1832 ; died in Paris, France, April 26, 1910. 
 
 Joel Chandler Harris, an American writer, born at 
 Eatonton, Ga., December 8, 1848; died in Atlanta, Ga., 
 July 3, 1908. 
 
 9 COURAGE 
 
 Mortals, that would follow me, 
 Love Virtue; she alone is free; 
 She can teach you how to climb, 
 Higher than the sphery chime; 
 Or, if Virtue feeble were, 
 Heaven itself would stoop to her. 
 — From "Comus" by John Milton 
 
 JOHN MILTON, THE BLIND POET 
 
 The life of John Milton stands as a monument of cour- 
 age and inspiration, and teaches us a valuable lesson. For 
 six years blindness had been coming upon Milton, and the 
 year of 1660 saw him deprived of sight, and with no sup- 
 port for himself or family. Then he wrote his greatest 
 work, the sublime poem of "Paradise Lost." His "Par- 
 adise Regained ' ' was written four years later. 
 
 Bead: Extracts from Helen Keller's Story of My Life, 
 or tell the story to the children; also read her book, The 
 World I Live In. 
 
 Sing: "Merrily, Merrily Sing," from Kellogg 's Best 
 Primary Songs. 
 
 Birthday : John Milton, a famous English poet, born in 
 London, England, December 9, 1608 ; died Nov. 8, 1674. 
 
88 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 10 HOME AND PARENTS 
 
 The boys that are wanted are loving boys, 
 Fond of home and father and mother, 
 
 Counting the old-fashioned household joys 
 Dearer and sweeter than any other. 
 
 The girls that are wanted are home girls, 
 
 Girls that are mother's right hand, 
 That fathers and brothers can trust too, 
 
 And the little ones understand. 
 
 Birthday : Edward Eggleston, an American author, born 
 at Vevay, Ind., December 10, 1837; died at Joshua's Rock, 
 Lake George, N. Y., September 2, 1902. Author of The 
 Hoosier Schoolmaster, The Hoosier Schoolboy, etc. 
 
 Special Day: Arbor Day in Mississippi. (See Arbor 
 Day, April 21 and 22, this book.) 
 
 11 GOOD DEEDS 
 
 You cannot dream yourself into a character, you 
 must forge one. — Carter 
 
 WHICH LOVED BEST 
 
 BY JOY ALLISON 
 
 * ' I love you, mother, ' ' said little John ; 
 Then forgetting his work, his cap went on, 
 And he was off to the garden swing, 
 Leaving his mother the wood to bring. 
 
 "I love you, mother,' ' said little Nell, 
 * ' I love you better than tongue can tell. ' ' 
 Then she teased and pouted half the day, 
 Till mother rejoiced when she went to play. 
 
 "I love you, mother," said little Fan, 
 "To-day I'll help you all I can." 
 To the cradle then she did softly creep, 
 And rocked the baby till it fell asleep. 
 
DECEMBER 89 
 
 Then stepping softly she took the broom 
 And swept the floor and dusted the room. 
 Busy and happy all day was she, 
 Helpful and cheerful as child could be. 
 
 "I love you, mother,' ' again they said, 
 Three little children going to bed. 
 How do you think the mother guessed 
 Which of them really loved her best? 
 
 Birthday: Sir David Brewster, a famous British phi- 
 losopher and scholar, born at Jedburgh, Scotland Decem- 
 ber 11, 1781; died February 10, 1868. 
 
 12 AMIABILITY 
 
 It's easy enough to be pleasant, 
 When life flows along like a song; 
 But the man worth while 
 Is the one who can smile 
 When everything goes dead wrong. 
 — Ella Wheeler Wilcox 
 
 Birthdays : John Jay, the first chief justice of the United 
 States, born in New York City, December 12, 1745 ; died at 
 Bedford, N. Y., May 17, 1829. 
 
 John R. Green, a noted English historian, born at Oxford, 
 England, December 12, 1837; died at Mentone, France, 
 March 7, 1883. 
 
 13 SUCCESS 
 
 Set yourself earnestly to see what you were made 
 to do, and then set yourself earnestly to do it. 
 
 — Phillips Brooks 
 
 THE ONE ROAD 
 
 << 
 
 There is but one straight road to success, ' ' says Bourke 
 Cochran, the well-known orator, ' ' and that is merit. Capac- 
 ity never lacks opportunity. It cannot remain undiscovered 
 because it is sought by too many anxious to utilize it. A 
 
90 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 capable man on earth is more valuable than any precious 
 deposit under the earth, and is the object of a more vigilant 
 search." 
 
 Birthdays: Phillips Brooks, a bishop of the Episcopal 
 Church and a noted pulpit orator and poet, born in Boston, 
 Mass., December 13, 1835; died in Boston, January 23, 
 1893. 
 
 Samuel Smiles, a Scottish writer, born at Haddington, 
 Scotland, December 13, 1812; died in England, April 17, 
 1904. 
 
 14 CHEEEFULNESS 
 
 Be still, sad heart! and cease repining; 
 Behind the clouds is the sun still shining; 
 Thy fate is the common fate of all, 
 Into each life some rain must fall, 
 
 Some days must be dark and dreary. 
 — From "The Rainy Day" by Longfellow 
 
 Read: "The Desert/ ' from Richards' The Golden Win- 
 dows; "The Miller of the Dee," from Baldwin's Fifty 
 Famous Stories Retold. 
 
 Sing : ' ' Music Everywhere, ' ' from Merry Melodies. 
 
 Birthday : Noah Porter, an American writer and scholar, 
 president of Yale College, born in Farmington, Conn., De- 
 cember 14, 1811 ; died March 4, 1892. Dr. Porter was chief 
 editor of Webster's International Dictionary. 
 
 15 SEEVICE 
 
 Men and things are only valuable as they are 
 serviceable. 
 
 SOMEBODY 
 
 Somebody did a golden deed ; 
 Somebody proved a friend in need; 
 Somebody sang a beautiful song; 
 Somebody smiled the whole day long; 
 
DECEMBER 91 
 
 j > 
 
 Somebody thought, " 'Tis sweet to live 
 Somebody said, ''I'm glad to give"; 
 Somebody fought a valiant fight; 
 Somebody lived to shield the right; 
 Was that ' ' Somebody " you ? 
 
 Bead : * ' Home " and ' ' The Wheatfield, ' ' from Richards ' 
 The Golden Windoivs; Bible, Matt. 7 :12 and Matt. 5 :7. 
 
 Sing: "The World is What We Make It," from School 
 Song Knapsack. 
 
 Birthday: Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, a noted French 
 engineer and builder of the Eiffel Tower for the Paris ex- 
 hibition of 1889, born at Dijon, Prance, December 15, 1832. 
 
 Special Day : Arbor Day in Arkansas. (See Arbor Day, 
 April 19 and 20, this book.) 
 
 16 TEUE NOBILITY 
 
 We want no kings but kings of toil — 
 
 No crowns but crowns of deeds; 
 Not royal birth but sterling worth 
 
 Must mark the man who leads. 
 
 — Ella Wheeler Wilcox 
 
 PROOFS OF NOBILITY 
 
 Beethoven [birthday December 17], the great musician 
 and composer, who, in his majestic stateliness, is likened to 
 the poet Milton, was asked to produce proofs of his nobility. 
 Turning at once to the king, for the incident occurred at 
 court, the democratic nobleman replied by pointing to his 
 head and his heart, saying, ' ' My nobility is here and here. ' ' 
 
 17 WHITTIEB'S BIBTHDAY 
 
 The riches of the Commonwealth 
 
 Are free, strong minds, and hearts of health; 
 
 And more to her than gold or grain, 
 
 The cunning hand and cultured brain. 
 
 — Whittier 
 
92 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Read or tell : The story of Whittier 's boyhood, life, and 
 work; read the chapters on Quaker life in Uncle Tom's 
 Cabin; " "Whittier, ' ' from Cody's Four American Poets; 
 "The Boyhood of John Greenleaf Whittier,'' from Our 
 Holidays: Retold from St. Nicholas. From his poems: 
 "The Barefoot Boy," " Snow-Bound, " etc. 
 
 Read: "Sir Humphry Davy's Greatest Discovery, 
 Michael Faraday, ' ' from Marden 's Stories from Life. 
 
 Sing: "Whittier," from Songs in Season. 
 
 Birthdays : Ludwig van Beethoven, a famous musician, 
 born in Bonn, Germany, December 17, 1770 ; died in Vienna, 
 Austria, March 26, 1827. 
 
 Sir Humphry Davy, a celebrated English chemist, born 
 in Penzance, Cornwall, England, December 17, 1778 ; died 
 in Geneva, Switzerland, May 29, 1829. 
 
 John Greenleaf Whittier, the "Quaker poet," born in 
 Haverhill, Mass., December 17, 1807; died at Hampton 
 Falls, N. H., September 7, 1892. 
 
 18 CONTENTMENT 
 
 Over my shaded doorway, 
 
 Two little brown-winged birds 
 Have chosen to fashion their dwelling 
 
 And utter their loving words. 
 All day they are coming and going 
 
 On errands frequent and fleet, 
 And warbling over and over, 
 
 Sweet, sweet, sweet, O, sweet! 
 
 — Selected 
 
 THE KING STORK 
 
 There were once some frogs which lived in a beautiful 
 lake. They thought that they would be perfectly happy if 
 they only had a king. A stork was sent to rule over them. 
 The frogs went out to meet him gladly. The stork put 
 forth his head, took up a frog and swallowed him. Then 
 the frogs were very sorry that they had asked for a king. 
 
DECEMBER 93 
 
 Every day the stork king did the same thing until all the 
 poor frogs had disappeared. 
 
 Birthday : Lyman Abbott, a Congregational clergyman, 
 author, and journalist, son of Jacob Abbott, born at Rox- 
 bury, Mass., December 18, 1835. Editor of The Outlook, 
 
 19 MANNERS 
 
 Do you wish the world were better? 
 
 Let me tell you what to do. 
 Set a watch upon your actions, 
 
 Keep them always straight and true. 
 Rid your mind of selfish motives, 
 
 Let your thoughts be clean and high. 
 You can make a little Eden, 
 
 Of the sphere you occupy. 
 
 A SERIES OF DON'TS 
 
 Don't slight a boy because his home is plain and un- 
 pretending. Abraham Lincoln's home was a log cabin. 
 
 Don 't slight a boy because of the ignorance of his parents. 
 Shakespeare, the world's poet, was the son of a man who 
 was unable to write his own name. 
 
 Don't slight a boy because he chooses an humble trade. 
 The author of Pilgrim's Progress was a tinker. 
 
 Don't slight a boy because of physical disability. Milton 
 was blind. 
 
 Don't slight a boy because of dullness in his lessons. 
 Hogarth, the celebrated painter and engraver, was a stupid 
 boy at his books. 
 
 Don't slight any one; not alone because some day they 
 may far outstrip you in the race of life, but because it is 
 neither right, nor kind, nor polite. — Selected 
 
 Read: Nixie Bunny in Manners-Land, by Sindelar, to 
 the little folks; "The Knights and the Naughty Child," 
 from Bakewell 's True Fairy Stories. 
 
94 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Birthday : Edwin McMasters Stanton, an American law- 
 yer and statesman, born at Steubenville, Ohio, December 19, 
 1814; died at Washington, D. C, December 20, 1869. 
 
 20 PUBPOSE 
 
 I RESOLVE 
 To keep my health; 
 To do my work; 
 To live; 
 
 To see to it I grow and gain and give; 
 Never to look behind me for an hour; 
 To wait in weakness, and to walk in power; 
 But always fronting onward to the light; 
 Always and always facing toward the light. 
 — Charlotte P. Stetson 
 
 21 PEBSEVERANCE 
 
 The great secret of success in life is for a man to 
 be ready when his opportunity comes. — Disraeli 
 
 INDUSTRY AND APPLICATION 
 
 Mr. Disraeli affords an instance of the power of indus- 
 try and application in working out an eminent career. 
 His first achievements were, like Bulwer's, in literature; 
 and he reached success only through a succession of fail- 
 ures. As an orator, too, his first appearance in the House 
 of Commons was a failure. Though composed in a grand 
 and ambitious strain, every sentence was hailed with 
 "loud laughter." Yet he felt so sure that he would some 
 day be a great man that he ended by saying: "I have 
 begun several times many things, and have succeeded in 
 them at last. I will sit down now, but the time will come 
 when you will hear me." The time did come; and how 
 Disraeli succeeded affords a striking illustration of what 
 energy and determination will do. 
 
 Birthday: Benjamin Disraeli, earl of Beaconsfield, a 
 noted English writer and statesman, born in London, Eng- 
 land, December 21, 1805 ; died on April 19, 1881. 
 
DECEMBER 95 
 
 22 HEROES 
 
 Here's to the boy who has courage to say 
 "No!" when he's tempted, and turn straight away 
 From temptation and tempter, and do what is right — 
 Such boys are heroes who'll win in the fight. 
 
 Here's to the boy who is willing to work, 
 And, if he could, not a duty would shirk; 
 Doing his best at his work or his play — 
 Such boys will do to depend on, I say. 
 
 — Hezekiah Butterworth 
 
 Sing : ' ' When the Swallows Homeward Fly, ' ' by Franz 
 Abt. 
 
 Birthdays: Franz Abt, a German composer, born at 
 Eilenberg, Prussian Saxony, December 22, 1819 ; died at 
 Weisbaden, April 2, 1885. 
 
 Hezekiah Butterworth, an American writer for young 
 folks, born in Warren, R. I., December 22, 1839 ; died Sep- 
 tember 5, 1905. 
 
 23 CHRISTMAS 
 
 [December 25] 
 
 "Tis the time of the year for the open hand, 
 
 And the tender heart and true, 
 When a rift of heaven has cleft the skies 
 
 And the saints are looking through. 
 
 — Margaret Sangster 
 
 Read: "How Uncle Sam Observes Christmas," from 
 Our Holidays: Retold from St. Nicholas; "Christmas 
 Everywhere," by Phillips Brooks ; "Christmas Like it Used 
 to Be," by Nixon Waterman; "The First Christmas Tree," 
 by Van Dyke. 
 
 Sing: Christmas songs from Songs in Season. Procure 
 copy of Sindelar's The Best Christmas Book for other songs 
 and entertainment material. 
 
 Birthdays: Hamilton Wright Mabie, an American 
 author and critic, born at Cold Spring, N. Y., December 
 23, 1846 ; lives at Summit, N. J. 
 
96 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Harriet Monroe, an American author, born in Chicago, 
 111., December 23, 1860; lives in Chicago. 
 
 24 CHRISTMAS 
 
 [Continued] 
 
 I heard the bells on Christmas Day, 
 Their old familiar carols play 
 
 And wild and sweet 
 
 The words repeat 
 
 Of peace on earth, good-will to men. 
 
 ******* 
 
 Then pealed the bells more loud and deep; 
 God is not dead; nor doth he sleep! 
 
 The wrong shall fail, 
 
 The right prevail, 
 With peace on earth, good-will to men. 
 
 — Longfellow 
 
 Birthdays: William Makepeace Thackeray, a famous 
 English writer, born at Calcutta, British India, July 18, 
 1811 ; died December 24, 1863. 
 
 Matthew Arnold, an English poet, born at Laleham, 
 England, December 24, 1822 ; died April 15, 1888. 
 
 25 CHRISTMAS 
 
 [Concluded] 
 
 "What means that star," the shepherds said, 
 "That brightens through the rocky glen?" 
 
 And angels answering overhead, 
 
 Sang, "Peace on earth, good-will to men." 
 
 — From "A Christmas Carol" by James Russell Lowell 
 
 JESUS OF NAZARETH 
 
 The following extract has been translated from the writ- 
 ings of the contemporary historians of the period of Pope 
 Innocent VIII. 
 
 Pnblius Lentulus, in those days Governor of Judea, wrote 
 the following message to the Senate and People of Rome : 
 
 "There appeared in these days a most virtuous man, by 
 the name of Jesus Christ, who still lives among us, and is 
 
DECEMBER 97 
 
 considered by the heathens a Prophet of Truth, but called 
 by His own disciples the Son of God. He raises people 
 from the dead, and cures diseases of all kinds. Being a 
 man of tall and imposing stature, strongly inspiring ven- 
 eration by His appearance, He instills both love and fear 
 into the minds of those who see Him. His hair has the 
 color of a fully ripened hazelnut, almost smooth down to 
 the ears, slightly curly lower down, and of a more oriental 
 shade as it falls in a wavy mass upon His shoulders. In 
 accordance with the custom of the Nazarenes it is parted 
 in the middle. His brow is very smooth and bears the im- 
 print of frankness. His face is free from blemishes and 
 wrinkles, beautiful, and with a pleasing, rosy complexion. 
 The lines of the nose and mouth are immaculate, the beard 
 is rather full, of a shade well in harmony with the color 
 of His hair and not very long. His eyes are gray, clear and 
 animated. His body is shapely and vigorous, and His arms 
 and hands are well proportioned. When censuring, He in- 
 spires awe; when admonishing, He is kindly and pre- 
 possessing. His speech is moderate, full of wisdom and 
 modest, but at the same time dignified. No one can recol- 
 lect seeing Him laugh, but many have seen Him weep." 
 
 Tell about Newton and the law of gravitation. 
 
 Birthdays: Samuel de Champlain, a noted French 
 navigator, born at Brouage, France, in 1567 ; died in Que- 
 bec, Canada, December 25, 1635. 
 
 Sir Isaac Newton, a famous English philosopher and 
 mathematician, born at Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, Eng- 
 land, December 25, 1642; died at London, March 20, 1727. 
 
 Clara Barton, "America's Florence Nightingale, " and 
 the first president of the Red Cross Society of America, 
 born at Oxford, Mass., December 25, 1822; died in 1892. 
 (See "The Red Cross," October 26, this boak.) 
 
 Edwin H. Blashfield, an American painter, born in New 
 York City, December 25, 1848 ; has his studio in New York. 
 Painted Christmas Chimes, etc. 
 
98 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 26 HUMILITY 
 
 Full many a gem of purest ray serene, 
 
 The dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear; 
 
 Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, 
 And waste its sweetness on the desert air. 
 
 — Gray 
 
 THE POMPOUS YOUNG MAN 
 
 A story is told of a pompous young man who bustled into 
 a great lawyer's office. 
 
 "This is Mr. Sheldon ?" he said. 
 
 "Yes," responded the lawyer. 
 
 "Well, I'm Mr. Harvey of Harvey, Wright & Company.' ' 
 
 "Take a chair, Mr. Harvey," said the lawyer. 
 
 "My father was a cousin of Senator Harvey and I — " 
 
 1 ' Take two chairs, Mr. Harvey ! ' ' 
 
 "It is indeed a good thing to be well descended — but the 
 glory belongs to one's ancestors," says Nathaniel Haw- 
 thorne. So, always remember while admiring your family 
 tree that it is the tree you gaze upon — and "You" may be 
 a little rotten apple that has fallen to the ground. 
 
 Bead: "Gray's Elegy of a Country Churchyard. 
 
 Sing: "Abide with Me," from American School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Thomas Gray, an English poet, born in 
 Cornhill, London, England, December 26, 1716; died in 
 London, July 24, 1771. 
 
 George Dewey, an American admiral, born at Montpelier, 
 Vt., December 26, 1837 ; lives in Washington, D. C. 
 
 27 HELPFULNESS 
 
 Do something for each other, 
 
 Though small the help may be; 
 There's comfort oft in little things, 
 
 Far more than others see. 
 
DECEMBER 99 
 
 Read : Life of Pasteur, by Rene Vallery Radot. Chap- 
 ter 13 tells of the first vaccination against hydrophobia 
 given to a boy of nine years. 
 
 Birthdays: Johann Kepler, a famous German astron- 
 omer, born in Wiirtemberg, Germany, December 27, 1571; 
 died in Ratisbon, Germany, November 15, 1630. 
 
 Louis Pasteur, a noted French chemist and microscopist, 
 born at Dole, Jura, France, December 27, 1822; died in 
 Paris, September 28, 1895. 
 
 28 ACCOMPLISHMENT 
 
 Whenever a task is set for you, 
 
 Don't idly sit and view it, 
 Nor be content to wish it done, 
 
 Begin at once to do it. 
 
 PRESIDENT WILSON'S ADVICE TO BOYS 
 
 "I dare say you think that schoolmasters are often a 
 bit hard on you in requiring you to do things in order that 
 you may pass the tests of the school, but I want to warn 
 you that when you get out of the school you are going to 
 have harder schoolmasters than you had before. For the 
 world requires that we make good, no matter what happens, 
 and the man that does things amounts to a great deal more 
 than the man who wishes he had done things and who 
 promises he will do things. The men I am sorry for are 
 the men who stop to think that they have accomplished 
 something before they stop at the grave itself. You have 
 got to have your second wind in this world and keep it up 
 until the last minute." 
 
 Birthday : Woodrow Wilson, an American educator and 
 the twenty-eighth president of the United States, also the 
 first president since the Civil War to come from the South, 
 born in Staunton, Va., December 28, 1856. 
 
100 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 29 THE VALUE OF THINGS 
 
 Work, and the health to do it, are the greatest bless- 
 ings God gives to mankind. — Pearley 
 
 A DIAMOND OR A COAL 
 
 BY CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI 
 
 A diamond or a coal ? 
 
 A diamond, if you please; 
 Who cares about a clumsy coal 
 
 Beneath the summer trees ? 
 
 A diamond or a coal? 
 
 A coal, sir, if you please ; 
 One comes to care about the coal 
 
 At times when waters freeze. 
 
 Birthdays: Andrew Johnson, seventeenth president of 
 the United States, born in Raleigh, N. C, December 29, 
 1808 ; died near Elizabethtown, Tenn., July 31, 1875. 
 
 William E. Gladstone, a famous English statesman, 
 called the "Great Commoner/' born in Liverpool, England, 
 December 29, 1809 ; died at his residence, Hawarden Castle, 
 near Chester, May 19, 1898. 
 
 Christina Georgina Rossetti, an English poet of Italian 
 origin, born in London, England, 1830 ; died December 29, 
 1894. 
 
 30 TRUST 
 
 God of our fathers, known of old — 
 Lord of our far-flung battle line — 
 
 Beneath whose awful hand we hold 
 Dominion over palm and pine — 
 
 Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, 
 Lest we forget — lest we forget. 
 
 — Rudyard Kipling 
 
DECEMBER 101 
 
 THE VALUE OF A GOOD NAME 
 
 Just as the Civil War commenced, soldiers were enlisting, 
 and going away from almost every home in the land. A 
 young man had volunteered, and was expecting daily to be 
 ordered to the seat of war. One day his mother gave him 
 an unpaid bill with the money, and asked him to pay it. 
 "When he returned home at night, she said, "Did you pay 
 that bill, George?"— "Yes," he answered, "I paid it." In 
 a few days the bill was sent in a second time. ' ' I thought, ' ' 
 said she to her son, "that you paid this." — "I really do not 
 remember, mother; you know, I've so many things on my 
 mind."— "But you said you paid it."— "Well," he 
 answered, "if I said I paid it, I did." 
 
 He went away to his company, and his mother went her- 
 self to the store. "I am quite sure," she said to the mer- 
 chant, "that my son paid this bill some days ago. He has 
 been very busy since, and has quite forgotten about it, but 
 he told me that he had paid it the day I gave him the 
 money ; and he says, if he said then that he had paid it, he 
 is quite sure that he did." — "Well," said the merchant, "I 
 forgot about it ; but, if your son ever said he paid it, he did. 
 I have known George all his life, and his word is as good 
 with me as a receipt. ' ' 
 
 Read: "How the Camel Got His Hump," in Just-So 
 Stories, by Kipling ; ' ' The Image and the Treasure, ' ' from 
 Scudder's Book of Legend; "The Story of Truth," from 
 Bakewell's True Fairy Stories; "The Stolen Corn," from 
 Bailey and Lewis' For the Children's Hour. 
 
 Birthdays: George Gordon Meade, "The Victor of 
 Gettysburg, ' ' born in Cadiz, Spain, where his father at the 
 time was United States consul, December 30, 1815 ; died in 
 Philadelphia, Pa., November 6, 1872. 
 
 Eudyard Kipling, an English writer of stories, novels, 
 and poems, born in Bombay, India, December 30, 1865. 
 
102 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 31 NEW YEAE'S EVE 
 
 Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky 
 The flying cloud, the frosty light: 
 The year is dying in the night; 
 Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. 
 
 Ring out the old, ring in the new, 
 
 Ring, happy bells, across the snow: 
 
 The year is going, let him go; 
 
 Ring out the false, ring in the true. 
 
 — From "In Memoriam," by Alfred Lord Tennyson. 
 
 ■': *!•■ 
 
JANUARY 
 
 1 NEW YEAE'S DAY 
 
 Every day is a fresh beginning, 
 Every morn is the world made new, 
 
 Only the new days are our own; 
 To-day is ours and to-day alone. 
 
 — Susan Coolidge 
 
 NEW YEAR'S DAY CUSTOMS 
 
 The custom of celebrating the first day of the year is a 
 very ancient one. The exchange of gifts, the paying of 
 calls, the making of good resolutions for the new year and 
 feasting often characterize the day. The custom of ringing 
 the church bells and the blowing of horns is of the widest 
 extent. 
 
 The old-world custom of sitting up on New Year's night 
 to see the old year out is still very common. 
 
 Read: "A Chinese New Year's in California," from 
 Our Holidays: Retold from St. Nicholas; "Paul Revere 's 
 Ride," by Longfellow. 
 
 Sing: "January," from Songs in Season. 
 
 Birthdays : Edmund Burke, a famous British statesman 
 and writer, born in Dublin, Ireland, January 1, 1730 ; died 
 at Beaconsfield, England, July 9, 1797. 
 
 Paul Revere, an American patriot, born in Boston, Mass., 
 January 1, 1735 ; died in Boston, May 10, 1818. 
 
 Anthony Wayne, an American general in the Revolution, 
 born at Waynesborough, Pa., January 1, 1745; died in 
 Presque Isle, December 14, 1796. 
 
104 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 2 WHAT SHALL THE NEW YEAR BE? 
 
 A glad New Year or a sad New Year; 
 
 what shall the New Year be? 
 I cannot tell what it hath in store, 
 
 1 would that I might foresee; 
 
 But God knows well and I need no more; 
 Is that not enough for me? 
 
 — Selected 
 
 Read : ' c New Year 's Message, ' ' from Proudfoot 's Child's 
 Christ Tales. 
 
 Birthday: James Wolfe, an English general, born at 
 Westerham, Kent, England, January 2, 1726; died Sep- 
 tember 13, 1759. 
 
 3 FAITHFUL TO TKUST 
 
 To thine own self be true; 
 And it must follow as night the day, 
 Thou can'st not then be false to any man. 
 — Shakespeare 
 
 A CRUEL BOY ALMOST SURE TO MAKE A CRUEL 
 
 MAN 
 
 There was once a boy who loved to give pain to every- 
 thing that came in his way, over which he could gain any 
 power. He would take eggs from the mourning robin, and 
 torture the unfledged sparrow, cats and dogs, the peaceable 
 cow and the faithful horse ; he delighted to worry and dis- 
 tress. I do not like to tell you the many cruel things that 
 he did. He was told that such things were wrong. An 
 excellent lady with whom he lived used to warn and reprove 
 him for his evil conduct — but he did not reform. When 
 he grew up he became a soldier. He was never sorry to 
 see men wounded, and blood running upon the earth. He 
 became so wicked that he laid a plan to betray his country, 
 and to sell it into the hands of the enemy. This is to be 
 a traitor. But he was discovered and fled. He never dared 
 to return to his native land, but lived despised and died 
 
JANUARY 105 
 
 miserably in a foreign clime. Such was the end of the 
 cruel boy, who loved to give pain to animals. He was 
 born at Norwich, Conn., and the beautiful city of his birth 
 is ashamed of his memory. His name was Benedict Arnold. 
 
 — The Spirit of Humanity 
 
 Birthdays: Benedict Arnold, an American general and 
 traitor, born in Norwich, Conn., January 3, 1740; died in 
 London, England, June 14, 1801. 
 
 Larkin Goldsmith Mead, an American sculptor, born at 
 Chesterfield, N. H., January 3, 1835; died in Florence, 
 Italy, October 15, 1910. 
 
 4 WOEK AND PLAY 
 
 Work while you work, 
 Play while you play, 
 That is the way 
 To be cheerful and gay. 
 
 Sing: "Work and Play," from Kellogg 's Best Primary 
 Songs. 
 
 5 IDLENESS 
 
 He is not only idle who does nothing, but he is idle 
 who might be better employed. — Socrates 
 
 THE VOICE OP NATURE 
 
 Among the disciples of Hillel, the wise teacher of the 
 sons of Israel, was one named Saboth, whom every kind of 
 labor displeased, so that he gave himself up to idleness and 
 sloth. Hillel was grieved for the youth, and resolved to 
 reform him. To this end he conducted him out one day to 
 the valley of Hinnon, near Jerusalem. 
 
 Here there was a large pool of stagnant water, full of 
 reptiles and vermin, and covered with slimy weeds. When 
 they reached the valley, Hillel laid aside his staff, and said : 
 * ' Here we will rest from our journey. ' ' But the youth was 
 
106 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 astonished, and said: "What! master; by this loathsome 
 swamp ? Do you not perceive what a poisonous odor arises 
 from it?" 
 
 "Thou art right, my son," answered the teacher. "This 
 swamp is like the soul of the idler. Who would remain in 
 its vicinity?" Thereupon Hillel conducted the youth to 
 a desolate field, in which grew only thorns and thistles, 
 which choked the corn, and the wholesome plants. 
 
 Then Hillel leaned upon his staff and said: "Behold, 
 this field has a fruitful soil, to bring forth all things agree- 
 able and useful ! But it has been forgotten and neglected. 
 So it now produces stinging thistles, and thorns, and poison- 
 ous plants; and among them nestle snakes and moles. 
 Before thou sawest the soul; now recognize the life of the 
 idler. ' ' — Adapted 
 
 Sing: "What Kind of Boys," from Kellogg 's Best 
 Primary Songs. 
 
 Special Day: Arbor Day in Florida. (See Arbor Day, 
 April 19 and 20, this book.) 
 
 6 LOYALTY 
 
 To all the world I give my hand; 
 My heart I give my native land, 
 
 I seek her good, her glory; 
 I honor every nation's name, 
 Respect their fortune and their fame, 
 
 But love the land that bore me. 
 — Selected 
 
 JOAN OF ARC 
 
 Joan op Arc was the daughter of poor peasants and in 
 her girlhood was a servant in a tavern. France was then 
 at war with England and the whole country was in great 
 trouble. Joan used to listen to the talk of the travelers, and 
 think a great deal about the misfortunes of her country. 
 She longed to do something to help the king, and by and 
 
JANUARY 107 
 
 by she fancied that she had visions from heaven, and heard 
 voices telling her that she must save the nation. This idea 
 took such hold of her that at last she made the people 
 believe that God had really sent her to do a great work. 
 The king, Charles VII, consented to let her lead the soldiers 
 in an attack upon the English at the siege of Orleans ; and 
 she did it so well that the English were beaten and driven 
 out of the town. 
 
 After Charles was crowned at Rheims, Joan wanted to 
 go home, for she thought her work was ended. But there 
 were more battles to fight, and everybody now believed that 
 wherever she went she would bring victory for the French 
 army. So they would not let her go ; and in the end poor 
 Joan was taken prisoner by the enemy, after an unsuccess- 
 ful battle, and burnt for a witch in the marketplace of 
 Rouen, May 31, 1431. All the world has honored her since 
 her death, and statues have been raised to her memory. 
 
 Birthdays: Joan of Arc (French: Jeanne d'Arc), called 
 also the "Maid of Orleans," born at Domremy, Lorraine, 
 France, January 6, 1412 ; burnt for a witch in the market- 
 place of Rouen, France, May 31, 1431. 
 
 Charles Sumner, an American statesman, born in Bos- 
 ton, Mass., January 6, 1811; died in Washington, D. C, 
 March 11, 1874. 
 
 7 PATRIOTISM 
 
 Let little hands bring blossoms sweet, 
 
 To brave men lying low; 
 Let little hearts to soldiers dead 
 
 Their love and honor show. 
 We'll love the flag they loved so well, 
 
 The dear old banner bright, 
 We'll love the land for which they fell, 
 
 With soul, and strength, and might ! 
 
 — -8. M. Kneil 
 
 Learn: "A Salute to the Flag/' by Charles Sumner. 
 Read : Whittier 's ' ' Barbara Frietchie. ' ' Tell the story 
 
108 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 of the Battle of Bunker Hill and of Putnam's part in it. 
 
 Sing: " Proud Flag of the Free," from Uncle Sam's 
 School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Israel Putnam, an American general, born 
 at Salem, Mass., January 7, 1718 ; died at Brooklyn, Conn., 
 May 19, 1790. 
 
 Millard Fillmore, thirteenth president of the United 
 States, born in Cayuga Co., N. Y., January 7, 1800 ; died in 
 Buffalo, N. Y., March 8, 1874. 
 
 8 CHEERFULNESS 
 
 Keep a smile on your lips: it is better 
 
 To joyfully, hopefully try 
 For the end you would gain than to fetter 
 
 Your life with a moan and a sigh. 
 There are clouds in the firmament ever 
 
 The beauty of heaven to mar, 
 Yet night so profound there is never 
 
 But somewhere is shining a star. 
 
 Keep a song in your heart; it will lighten 
 
 The duties that come to your hand; 
 Its music will graciously brighten 
 
 The work that the builder has planned. 
 Its notes to the lives that are saddened 
 
 May make them hopefully yearn, 
 And yours shall be wondrously gladdened 
 
 By songs they shall sing in return. 
 
 — Nixon Waterman 
 
 Sing: "The Happy Farmer,' ' from Songs Every One 
 Should Know. 
 
 Birthdays : Robert Schumann, a German writer of music, 
 born in Zwickan, Saxony, Germany, January 8, 1810 ; died 
 near Bonn, Germany, July 29, 1856. 
 
 James Longstreet, a noted Confederate general in the 
 Civil War, born in Edgefield, S. C, January 8, 1821 ; died 
 near Gainesville, Ga., January 2, 1904. 
 
 Special Day : Anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, 
 celebrated in Louisiana. 
 
JANUARY 109 
 
 9 PERSEVEKANCE 
 
 In the lexicon of youth which fate reserves for a 
 bright manhood, there is no such word as fail. — Lytton 
 
 10 LOYALTY 
 
 Such is the patriot's boast, where'er we roam, 
 His first, best country ever is at home. 
 
 — Goldsmith 
 
 ETHAN ALLEN AND THE GREEN MOUNTAIN BOYS 
 
 Ethan Allen was born in Litchfield, Conn., January 10, 
 1738. When a boy his parents emigrated to Salisbury, 
 where most of his youth was spent, and in 1765 he emigrated 
 to what was then called the "New Hampshire Grants," 
 now the State of Vermont. This was then claimed by both 
 New Hampshire and New York, and the settlers there 
 formed themselves into a company called ' i Green Mountain 
 Boys," to protect their interests, and chose Ethan Allen 
 for their leader. Soon after the fight at Lexington (1775), 
 he marched against Fort Ticonderoga and captured it. 
 
 In September of the same year Allen was captured by 
 the British while on an expedition against Montreal, and 
 carried to England in irons. After being kept a prisoner 
 for two and one-half years, he was exchanged for a British 
 colonel. The English who admired his courage, tried to 
 bribe him to take their side. Once, in New York, an officer 
 told him that his faithfulness had won General Howe's 
 good opinion, and that if he would join King George's 
 army he would be given a good position, and would be re- 
 warded after the war with large estates in Vermont or 
 Connecticut. Allen told him that he was so much obliged 
 to General Howe for his opinion that he would not lose it 
 by turning traitor. "As to the offer of lands," said he, 
 "that is much like a similar offer once made by Satan to 
 Christ of all the kingdoms of earth, when in fact the old 
 devil didn't own an acre." 
 
HO MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Sing: "The Flag of Our Union, Forever!" from Uncle 
 Sam's School Songs. 
 
 Birthday: Ethan Allen, an American officer in the 
 Revolution, born in Litchfield, Conn., January 10, 1738; 
 died near Colchester, Vt., February 13, 1789. Leader of 
 the ' ' Green Mountain Boys. ' ' 
 
 11 PATKIOTISM 
 
 Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just, 
 
 And this be our motto — In God is our trust: 
 
 And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave 
 
 O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave. 
 
 — From "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key 
 
 THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER 
 
 To-day is the birthday of Francis Scott Key, the author 
 of "The Star-Spangled Banner." This song of national 
 and undying fame was written under conditions so thrilling 
 as to inspire the author with graphic power. In was born 
 of interest and patriotism during a conflict when the flag 
 was in danger, and was written by Francis Scott Key, a 
 young lawyer of Baltimore, during the war of 1812. Under 
 a flag of truce he paid a visit to a British fleet off Balti- 
 more, for the purpose of obtaining the release of a friend 
 (Dr. Beans) who was being held prisoner. On the same 
 day the bombardment of Fort McHenry began, and fearing 
 he might reveal their plans, the British would not permit 
 the visitor to return ashore. All through the night he re- 
 mained upon deck with Dr. Beans and in the light of the 
 bursting shells they could see the American flag still 
 waving over the old fort. And when in the first rays of 
 the dawn he still beheld the glorious banner waving from 
 its accustomed place Francis Scott Key wrote that won- 
 derful song, The Star-Spangled Banner, upon the back 
 of a letter. 
 
 The attack on Baltimore had failed, and the next day Mr. 
 
JANUARY HI 
 
 Key was permitted to return to the city. In his room at 
 the hotel he finished and perfected the famous poem, which 
 was first printed in a Baltimore newspaper. 
 
 ' Sing: "The Star-Spangled Banner.' ' 
 
 Birthdays: Alexander Hamilton, a famous American 
 statesman, born in the island of Nevis, West Indies, Jan- 
 uary 11, 1757; died at Weehawken, N. J., July 12, 1804. 
 
 Francis Scott Key, author of "The Star-Spangled Ban- 
 ner/ ' born in Frederick County, Md., August 1, 1779 ; died 
 in Baltimore, January 11, 1843. 
 
 Bayard Taylor, an American author, born at Kennett 
 Square, Chester County, Pa., January 11, 1825; died in 
 Berlin, Germany, December 19, 1878. 
 
 12 INDEPENDENCE 
 
 Let independence be our boast, 
 Ever mindful what it cost; 
 Ever grateful for the prize, 
 Let its altar reach the skies! 
 
 — Joseph Hopkinson 
 
 Learn: "The Declaration of Independence.' ' 
 
 Sing : ' ' America. ' ' 
 
 Birthdays: Charles Perrault, a French writer, born in 
 Paris, January 12, 1628; died in Paris, May 16, 1703. 
 Wrote Cinderella, Bluebeard, Little Bed Biding Hood, Puss 
 in Boots, Hop o ' My Thumb, etc. 
 
 John Hancock, a noted American statesman, and the 
 first signer of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 
 1774, born in Quincy, Mass., January 12, 1737; died at 
 Quincy, October 8, 1793. 
 
 Jack London, an American author, born in San Fran- 
 cisco, Cal., January 12, 1876 ; lives at Glen Ellen, Cal. 
 
 13 CHARACTER 
 
 Character, like porcelain, must be painted before it is 
 glazed. There can be no change when it is burnt in. 
 
 — Henry Ward Beecher 
 
112 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 CARVING A NAME 
 
 BY HORATIO ALGER 
 
 I wrote my name upon the sand, 
 And trusted it would stand for aye; 
 
 But soon, alas ; the refluent sea 
 Had washed my feeble lines away. 
 
 I carved my name upon the wood, 
 
 And, after years, returned again; 
 I missed the shadow of the tree 
 
 That stretched of old upon the plain. 
 
 To solid marble next my name 
 
 I gave as a perpetual trust ; 
 An earthquake rent it to its base, 
 
 And now it lies o'erlaid with dust. 
 
 All these have failed. In wiser mood 
 I turn and ask myself, ' ' What then ? 
 
 If I would have my name endure, 
 I '11 write it on the hearts of men. 
 
 1 ' ' In characters of living light, 
 
 From kindly words and actions wrought; 
 
 And these, beyond the reach of time, 
 Shall live immortal as my thought. ' ' ' 
 
 Sing: "The Old Oaken Bucket," from Songs Every 
 One Should Know; "My Old Kentucky Home" and 
 "Swanee River," from Uncle Sam's School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Samuel Woodworth, an American writer, 
 born in Scituate, Mass., January 13, 1785; died in New 
 York City, December 9, 1842. Best known as the author of 
 the song "The Old Oaken Bucket." 
 
 Stephen C. Foster, an American writer of songs, born in 
 Pittsburgh, Pa., July 4, 1826 ; died in New York City, Jan- 
 
JANUARY H3 
 
 uary 13, 1864. Composer of "My Old Kentucky Home," 
 "Old Folks at Home," and many other popular songs. 
 
 Horatio Alger, an American writer, born at Revere, 
 Mass., January 13, 1834; died at Natick, Mass., July 18, 
 1899. 
 
 14 THE SNOW 
 
 The snow had begun in the gloaming, 
 
 And busily all the night 
 Had been heaping field and highway, 
 
 With a silence deep and white. 
 
 Every pine, and fir and hemlock, 
 
 Wore ermine too dear for an earl, 
 And the poorest twig on the elm tree 
 
 Was ridged inch deep with pearl. 
 
 — James Russell Lowell 
 
 Sing: "The Silently Falling Snow," from Kellogg 's 
 Best Primary Songs. 
 
 Birthday : Lewis Carroll, the pen-name of Rev. Charles 
 Lutwidge Dodgson, when he wrote for young folks, an Eng- 
 lish clergyman and writer, born in 1832 ; died January 14, 
 1898. Best known for his Alice's Adventures in Wonder- 
 land. 
 
 15 NOBLENESS 
 
 Be noble! and the nobleness that lies 
 In other men, sleeping but never dead, 
 Will rise in majesty to meet thine own. 
 
 — Lowell 
 
 Learn : ' l Nobility, ' ' by Alice Cary. 
 Read: Bible, Matt. 7 : 24-27. 
 
 Sing: "Onward, Christian Soldiers," from American 
 School Songs. 
 
 16 HABIT 
 
 We sleep, but the loom of life never stops; and the 
 pattern which was weaving when the sun went down is 
 weaving when it comes up to-morrow. — Beecher 
 
114 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 17 OPPOETUNITY 
 
 Lost time is never found again, and what we call 
 time enough, always proves little enough. 
 
 — Benjamin Franklin 
 
 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 
 
 BY T. W. HIGGINSON 
 
 One of the Americans who rendered the greatest services 
 to the liberty of their country was Dr. Benjamin Franklin. 
 He was born in Boston, January 17, 1706, and was the 
 son of a poor tallow chandler. When a boy, he learned the 
 printer's trade; at seventeen he left home, and established 
 himself in Philadelphia. 
 
 He and a young partner began business with no capital, 
 and felt very grateful to a friend whom they met in the 
 street and who gave them a five-shilling job. Afterward 
 they set up a newspaper, and published an almanac called 
 "Poor Richard's Almanac," which had a great circulation. 
 They also dealt in all sorts of small wares — rags, ink, soap, 
 feathers, and coffee. 
 
 Franklin was a great reader, and a great student of 
 science, and especially of electricity. He formed the theory 
 that lightning and the electrical fluid are the same thing. 
 This he said in a pamphlet, and some readers thought it 
 a very absurd view. Then he resolved to prove it. He and 
 his young son made a great kite of a silk handkerchief, 
 fastened a piece of sharpened wire to the stick, and went 
 out to fly the kite in a thunder-storm. 
 
 As the low thundercloud passed, the electric fluid came 
 down the string of the kite. "When Franklin touched a 
 key that he had fastened to the string, his knuckles drew 
 sparks from it, and proved that there was electricity there. 
 This led him to invent the lightning rod, which is now in 
 almost universal use. This discovery at once made him 
 very famous in Europe, as well as in America. 
 
JANUARY 115 
 
 He was afterward sent to England on a public mission, 
 and remained there till the outbreak of the Revolution. 
 Returning to America, he was one of the framers and 
 signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was sent to 
 France as ambassador, and aided in making the treaty with 
 France which secured the independence of the American 
 colonies. 
 
 He was a man of the greatest activity, public spirit, and 
 wit. He exercised great influence in all public affairs, and 
 founded more good institutions and benevolent enterprises 
 than any other American of his time. His last public act 
 was to sign a memorial to Congress in behalf of the Phila- 
 delphia Antislavery Society, of which he was president, ask- 
 ing the abolition of slavery. 
 
 He lived to the age of eighty-four, dying in 1790. The 
 whole nation mourned when he died. 
 
 Birthday: Benjamin Franklin, a famous American 
 philosopher and statesman, born in Boston, Mass., Janu- 
 ary 17, 1706 ; died in Philadelphia, Pa., April 17, 1790. 
 
 18 KEEPING YOUE WORD 
 
 One may live as a conqueror, a king, or magistrate; 
 but he must die as a man. — Webster 
 
 BLUCHER AT WATERLOO 
 
 When Blucher was hastening over bad roads to help 
 Wellington at Waterloo; his troops faltered. "It can't be 
 done ! ' ' said they. 
 
 "It must be done/' was Blucher 's reply. "I have 
 promised to be there, promised, do you hear ? You wouldn 't 
 have me break my word ? ' ' And it was done. 
 
 Read : Daniel Webster 's ' ' Bunker Hill Oration ; ' ' Bible, 
 Matt. 13 : 3-9. 
 
 Sing : ' ' Uncle Sam 's Wedding, ' ' from Merry Melodies. 
 Birthday: Daniel Webster, a famous American states- 
 
116 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 man, born in Salisbury (now Franklin), N. H., January 
 
 18, 1782; died at his farm in Marshfield, Mass., October 
 24, 1852. 
 
 19 EDUCATION 
 
 Every man must educate himself. His books and 
 teacher are but helps; the work is his. — Webster 
 
 JAMES WATT 
 
 About one hundred and fifty years ago, a little boy who 
 lived at Greenock, Scotland, and whose name was James 
 Watt, sat one day looking at a kettle of boiling water, and 
 holding a spoon against the steam that rushed out of the 
 spout. 
 
 His aunt, thinking him idle, said, " James, is it not a 
 great shame for you to waste your time playing with the 
 kettle?" But James was really not idle. He was observ- 
 ing the power of steam. 
 
 James grew to be a great and good man, and he developed 
 the steam engine which is so useful to us to-day. So, be- 
 cause he was a close observer, the little boy playing with 
 the kettle has given us the steam engine which to-day 
 propels great ships across the ocean, hauls long trains of 
 passenger and freight cars quickly across the country, and 
 turns the great wheels that drive the heavy machinery in 
 our great factories and mills. 
 
 Read: "The Landing of the Pilgrims," by Felicia 
 Hemans, and show in connection Boughton's pictures. 
 
 Birthdays : James Watt, the inventor or rather improver 
 of the steam engine, born in Greenock, Scotland, January 
 
 19, 1736; died at Heathfield, near Birmingham, England, 
 August 25, 1819. 
 
 Robert E. Lee, a famous American general, born in Vir- 
 ginia, January 19, 1807; died at Lexington, Va., October 
 12, 1870. 
 
JANUARY 117 
 
 Sir Henry Bessemer, an English engineer and founder 
 of Bessemer steel, born at Charlton, Hertfordshire, Eng- 
 land, January 19, 1813. 
 
 George H. Boughton, an English painter, born in Nor- 
 folk, in 1834 ; died at Campden Hill, January 19, 1905. 
 
 David Starr Jordan, an American educator, born at 
 Gainesville, N. Y., January 19, 1851; president of Leland 
 Stanford Junior University, Palo Alto, California. 
 
 20 HONESTY 
 
 There is only one failure in life possible, and that is 
 not to be true to the best one knows. — Farrar 
 
 Birthdays: Richard Henry Lee, a famous American 
 statesman, born at Stratford, Westmoreland County, Va., 
 January 20, 1732 ; died in Westmoreland County, June 19, 
 1794. 
 
 Eobert Morris, an American statesman and a signer of 
 the Declaration of Independence, born at Lancashire, Eng- 
 land, January 20, 1734; died in Philadelphia, Pa., May 8, 
 1806. 
 
 Nathaniel Parker Willis, an American writer, born in 
 Portland, Me., January 20, 1806; died at his place called 
 "Idlewild," near Newburgh, N. Y., January 21, 1867. 
 
 21 FORGIVENESS 
 
 So are great deeds as natural to great men 
 As mean things are to small ones. 
 
 — George MacDonald 
 
 LOVE YOUR ENEMIES 
 
 Angry looks can do no good, 
 
 And blows are dealt in blindness ; 
 
 Words are better understood, 
 If spoken but in kindness. 
 
118 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Simple love far more hath wrought, 
 
 Although by childhood muttered, 
 Than all the battles ever fought, 
 
 Or oaths that men have uttered. 
 
 Friendship oft would longer last, 
 
 And quarrels be prevented, 
 If little words were let go past — 
 
 Forgiven, not resented. 
 
 Foolish things are frowns and sneers, 
 
 For angry thoughts reveal them ; 
 Rather drown them all in tears, 
 
 Than let another feel them. 
 
 Tell the story of the Prodigal Son, Bible, Matt. 18; 
 read Matt. 5 : 44. 
 
 Sing: "The Lord My Shepherd Is," from American 
 School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: John C. Fremont, a noted American ex- 
 plorer and general, sometimes called the " Pathfinder, ' ' 
 born in Savannah, Ga., January 21, 1813; died in New 
 York City, July 13, 1890. 
 
 Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson, an American Confed- 
 erate general, born in Clarksburg, Va., January 21, 1824; 
 died near Fredericksburg, Va., May 10, 1863. 
 
 22 WISDOM 
 
 Reading maketh a full man; conference, a ready man; 
 and writing, an exact man. — Francis Bacon 
 
 EXPERIENCE 
 
 A mule, a fox, and a lion were out walking together. 
 They found a big piece of meat. The lion said to the mule : 
 "You may divide the meat; you always share it so well." 
 The mule divided the meat into three equal pieces and gave 
 
JANUARY 119 
 
 a piece to each. The lion was so angry that he killed the 
 mule. Then he told the fox to share the meat. 
 
 The fox gave all the meat to the lion. The lion was 
 pleased. 
 
 "How did you learn to share so well?" asked he. 
 
 ' ' The dead mule taught me how, ' ' said the fox. 
 
 Eead: ''Odin's Search for Wisdom," from Mabie's 
 Norse Stories. 
 
 Birthdays: Francis Bacon, an English philosopher and 
 statesman, born in London, England, January 22, 1561 ; 
 died at Highgate, England, April 9, 1626. Called by Pope, 
 the poet "The wisest, brightest, meanest of mankind." 
 
 Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, a noted German writer, born 
 in Saxony, Germany, January 22, 1729; died in Bruns- 
 wick, Germany, February 15, 1781. 
 
 George Gordon (Lord) Byron, a famous English poet, 
 born in London, England, January 22, 1788; died at 
 Missolonghi, Greece, April 19, 1824. 
 
 23 LOVE AND TRUTH 
 
 He liveth long, who liveth well, 
 
 All else is life but flung away; 
 He liveth longest who can tell 
 
 Of true things truly done each day. 
 
 24 PERSISTENCE 
 
 Many strokes, though with a little ax, 
 Hew down and fell the hardest timbered oaks. 
 
 — Shakespeare 
 
 Birthdays: Charles H. Niehaus, an American sculptor, 
 born in Cincinnati, Ohio, January 24, 1855; lives in New 
 York City. 
 
 Beatrice Harraden, an English novelist, born at Hamp- 
 stead, England, January 24, 1864; lives in London, 
 England. 
 
120 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 25 PLEASURES 
 
 Pleasures are like poppies spread; 
 You seize the flower, the bloom is shed; 
 Or like the snowflake in the river, 
 A moment white, then lost forever. 
 
 — Robert Bums 
 
 ADVICE OF ROBBY BURNS' FATHER 
 
 In Robert Burns' own words, this is the advice which 
 his father gave him and which he never forgot : 
 He bade me act a manly part, though I had ne'er a farthing, 
 For without an honest manly heart no man was worth regarding. 
 
 Read: "To a Field Mouse" and "For A' That," by 
 Robert Burns. A short biography of Burns will be found 
 in the New Era Fifth Reader. 
 
 Sing: "Auld Lang Syne" and "Flow Gently, Sweet 
 Afton," from Hanson's Gems of Song. 
 
 Birthdays : Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, 
 born near Ayr, Scotland, January 25, 1759 ; died at Dum- 
 fries, Scotland, July 21, 1796. 
 
 Louise de la Ramee (Ouida), an English novelist, born 
 at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, in 1839; died at 
 Villareggio, Italy, January 25, 1908. 
 
 26 REMEMBRANCE 
 
 There is a pretty little flower, 
 
 Of sky-blue tint and white, 
 That glitters in the sunshine 
 
 And goes to sleep at night. 
 'Tis a token of remembrance, 
 
 And a pretty name it's got; 
 Would you know it if I told you? 
 
 'Tis the sweet Forget-me-not. 
 
 27 MUSIC 
 
 Music hath charms to sooth a savage breast, 
 To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak. 
 
 — Congreve 
 
JANUARY 121 
 
 A BOY WHO BECAME FAMOUS 
 
 A boy only six years old was sailing with his father down 
 the Danube. All day long they had been sailing past 
 crumbling ruins, frowning castles, cloisters hidden away 
 among the crags, towering cliffs, quiet villages nestled in 
 sunny valleys, and here and there a deep gorge that opened 
 back from the gliding river. They stopped at night at a 
 cloister, and the father took little Wolfgang into the chapel 
 to see the organ. It was the first large organ he had ever 
 seen, and his face lit up with delight, and every motion 
 and attitude of his figure expressed a wondering reverence. 
 
 I 'Father," said the boy, "let me play." Well pleased, 
 the father complied. Then Wolfgang pushed aside the 
 stool, and, when his father had filled the great bellows, the 
 elfin organist stood upon the pedals. How the deep tones 
 woke the somber stillness of the old church! The organ 
 seemed some great, uncouth creature roaring for very joy 
 at the caresses of the marvelous child. 
 
 The monks, eating their supper in the refectory, heard 
 it, and dropped knife and fork in astonishment. The 
 organist of the brotherhood was among them, but never 
 had he played with such power. They listened; some 
 crossed themselves ; till the prior rose up and hastened into 
 the chapel. The others followed; but when they looked 
 up into the organ-loft, lo ! there was no organist to be seen, 
 though the deep tones still massed themselves in new har- 
 monies, and made the stone arches thrill with their power. 
 
 I I It is the devil ! ' ' cried one of the monks, drawing closer 
 to his companions, and giving a scared look over his shoulder 
 at the darkness of the aisle. " It is a miracle ! ' ' said another. 
 But when the boldest of them mounted the stairs to the 
 organ-loft, he stood as if petrified with amazement. There 
 was the tiny figure treading from pedal to pedal, and at 
 the same time clutching at the keys above with his little 
 hands. He heard nothing, saw nothing, besides; his eyes 
 
122 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 beamed, and his whole face was lighted up with joy. Louder 
 and fuller rose the harmonies, streaming forth in swelling 
 billows, till at last they seemed to reach a sunny shore on 
 which they broke ; and then a whispering ripple of faintest 
 melody lingered a moment in the air, like the last murmur 
 of a wind harp, and all was still. 
 The boy was Wolfgang Mozart. 
 
 Birthday : "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a famous German 
 writer of music, born in Salzburg, Austria, January 27, 
 1756 ; died in Vienna, Austria, December 5, 1791. 
 
 28 KINDNESS 
 
 Be kind and gentle to those who are old, 
 For kindness is dearer and better than gold. 
 
 WELLINGTON AND THE TOAD 
 
 The Duke of Wellington was a very kind man. Once 
 when walking in his garden he saw a boy playing with a 
 toad. "What are you doing?" he asked. 
 
 a Iam feeding my toad," said the boy. "My father is 
 going to send me to school, and I am afraid my toad will 
 die." 
 
 "Go to school, my boy," said the duke, "and I will 
 take care of your toad. ' ' 
 
 He afterward wrote to the boy at school, to tell him 
 that the toad was quite well. 
 
 Bead: "The Grateful Foxes," from Cooke's Nature 
 Myths and Stories; Bible, Matt. 7 : 12. 
 
 Sing: "Speak Softly, Gently," from Hanson's Gems of 
 Song. 
 
 Birthdays: Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward, an Amer- 
 ican writer, born at Andover, Mass., August 13, 1844; died 
 in Newton Center, Mass., January 28, 1911. 
 
 Samuel Chester Reid, an American naval officer, born in 
 
JANUARY 123 
 
 Norwich, Conn., August 25, 1773 ; died in New York City, 
 January 28, 1861. (In 1818 Captain Reid suggested the 
 present plan of the United States flag, with thirteen stripes 
 instead of fifteen, and an additional star for each new 
 state. In 1859 Congress passed a vote of thanks to him 
 as the designer of the flag.) 
 
 29 CHARACTER 
 
 Character is what God and the angels know of us; 
 reputation is what men and women think of us. 
 
 — Horace Mann 
 
 Birthdays: William McKinley, twenty-fifth president 
 of the United States, born at Niles, Ohio, January 29, 1844 ; 
 shot by an assassin in Buffalo, N. Y., September 6 and died 
 September 14, 1901. 
 
 Henry Lee (Light Horse Harry, as he was called and the 
 father of Gen. Robert E. Lee), a noted American general, 
 born in Virginia, January 29, 1756; died at Cumberland 
 Island, Ga., March 25, 1818. (When Washington died 
 Henry Lee was chosen by Congress to write an eulogy on 
 him; in it occur the famous words, "First in war, first in 
 peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen. ,, ) 
 
 30 GOLDEN DEEDS 
 
 As one lamp lights another nor grows less, 
 So nobleness enkindleth nobleness. 
 
 — From "Yussouf" by Lowell 
 
 INFLUENCE OF GOOD DEEDS AND WORDS 
 
 BY CHARLES MACKAY 
 
 A traveler through a dusty road, 
 
 Strewed acorns on the lea; 
 And one took root and sprouted up, 
 
 And grew into a tree. 
 Love sought its shade, at evening time, 
 
124 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 To breathe its early vows; 
 And Age was pleased, in heats of noon, 
 
 To bask beneath its boughs: 
 The dormouse loved its dangling twigs, 
 
 The birds sweet music bore ; 
 It stood, a glory in its place, 
 
 A blessing evermore! 
 
 A little spring had lost its way 
 
 Amid the grass and fern, 
 A passing stranger scooped a well, 
 
 Where weary men might turn; 
 He walled it in, and hung with care 
 
 A ladle at the brink; 
 He thought not of the deed he did, 
 
 But judged that toil might drink. 
 He passed again, — and, lo ! the well, 
 
 By summers never dried, 
 Had cooled ten thousand parching tongues, 
 
 And saved a life beside ! 
 
 A dreamer dropped a random thought, 
 'Twas old, and yet was new, 
 A simple fancy of the brain, 
 
 But strong in being true; 
 It shone upon a genial mind, 
 
 And, lo! its light became 
 A lamp of life, a beacon ray, 
 
 A monitory flame: 
 The thought was small ; its issue great, 
 
 A watch-fire on the hill; 
 It sheds its radiance far adown, 
 
 And cheers the valley still! 
 
 A nameless man amid a crowd 
 That thronged the daily mart, 
 
JANUARY 125 
 
 Let fall a word of Hope and Love, 
 
 Unstudied from the heart; 
 A whisper on the tumult thrown, — 
 
 A transitory breath, — 
 It raised a brother from the dust, 
 
 It saved a soul from death. 
 germ! fount! word of love! 
 
 O thought at random cast ! 
 Ye were but little, at the first, 
 
 But mighty, at the last ! 
 
 31 LIBBABYDAY 
 
 We should make the same use of books that the bee 
 does of a flower; he gathers sweets from it, but does 
 not injure it. 
 
 A LITTLE GIRL'S IDEAL PARTY 
 
 BY ISABEL YEOMANS BROWN 
 
 I'd like to give a party some lovely summer day, 
 
 When the air is warm and fragrant with the scent of new- 
 mown hay, 
 
 When song-birds warbling blithely and brooklets running 
 free 
 
 And busy little insects all join in minstrelsy. 
 
 And who would be invited ? First, that thoughtful little boy 
 With the heart so sweet and loving — I mean Lord Faunt- 
 
 leroy ; 
 Juanita and her brother; kind little Sara Crewe, 
 And Dorothy and Donald and a host of others too. 
 
 Yes, all the story people— " Little Women," "Little Men;" 
 And all Miss Alcott's people — the children of her pen. 
 And when it came to parting I'm sure we'd all agree 
 We had ne 'er before attended such a pleasant company. 
 
126 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Read: "The Book," in Forman's Stories of Useful In- 
 ventions; "The First Printer' ' in Baldwin's Thirty More 
 Famous Stories Retold; "The Printing Press," in Mowry's 
 American Inventions and Inventors. 
 
 Sing: "Come, Come, Come, ' ' from Kellogg 's Best 
 Primary Songs; "Let's Higher Climb," from Uncle Sam f s 
 School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Franz Schubert, a celebrated German 
 musician, born near Vienna, Austria, January 31, 1797; 
 died November 19, 1828. 
 
 James G. Blaine, an American statesman; born at West 
 Brownsville, Pa., January 31, 1830 ; died January 27, 1893. 
 
FEBRUARY 
 
 1 KNOWLEDGE 
 
 If we do not plant knowledge when young, it will give 
 us no shade when we are old. — Lord Chesterfield 
 
 HOW ABRAHAM LINCOLN TAUGHT HIMSELF 
 
 When Abraham Lincoln was young he had not the 
 chance which the boys and girls of to-day have of attending 
 school. But he was very anxious to learn, and wherever 
 he was, at every chance he could get, he was reading or 
 studying. 
 
 In the winter evenings he sat in the chimney-corner and 
 ciphered on the wooden fire-shovel, by the light of the 
 blazing logs. When the shovel was covered with figures, he 
 would shave them off with his father's knife and begin 
 again. 
 
 "He read every book he could lay hands on," said his 
 step-mother ; and when he came across a passage that struck 
 him, he would write it on boards, if he had no paper, and 
 keep it there until he was so fortunate as to get some 
 paper. Then he would look at it, write it, and repeat it 
 until he committed it to memory. 
 
 Birthday : David Porter, an American naval commander, 
 born in Boston, Mass., February 1, 1780; died in Con- 
 stantinople, Turkey, March 28, 1843. 
 
 2 A WONDERFUL WEAVER 
 
 There's a wonderful weaver 
 
 High up in the air, 
 And he weaves a white mantle 
 
 For cold earth to wear. 
 
128 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 With the wind for his shuttle, 
 
 The cloud for his loom, 
 How he weaves, how he weaves, 
 
 In the light, in the gloom. 
 — From "A Wonderful Weaver," by George Cooper 
 
 3 COMPANY 
 
 Birds of a feather flock together. — B. Burton 
 
 BAD COMPANY 
 
 A farmer's corn was destroyed by cranes that fed in 
 his field. Greatly annoyed, he declared that he would find 
 a way out of the trouble. A net was set in which the 
 cranes were snared. There was also a beautiful stork 
 among them who had been visiting with the cranes, and had 
 come to them from a neighboring roof. 
 
 ' ' Spare me, ' ' pleaded the stork. "lam innocent ; indeed 
 I am. I never touched any of your belongings. ' ' 
 
 "That may be true," answered the farmer; "but I find 
 you among thieves and I judge you accordingly." 
 
 The only safe way is to keep out of bad company. 
 
 Eead: "Good and Bad Apples," from Scudder's 
 Stories From My Attic. 
 
 Birthdays: Albert Sidney Johnston, an American 
 soldier, born at Washington, Ky., February 3, 1803 ; killed 
 at the battle of Shiloh, April 6, 1862. 
 
 Joseph Eccleston Johnston, an American general, born 
 in Prince Edward County, Va., February 3, 1807; died in 
 Washington, D. C, March 21, 1891. 
 
 Felix Mendelssohn, a famous German musician, born in 
 Hamburg, Germany, February 3, 1809; died in Leipsic, 
 Germany, November 4, 1847. 
 
 Horace Greeley, a noted American writer, born at Am- 
 herst, N. H., February 3, 1811 ; died November 29, 1872. 
 
 Special Day: Arbor Day in Arizona (Friday following 
 first day of February or April). (See Arbor Day, April 19 
 and 20, this book.) 
 
FEBRUARY 129 
 
 4 COURTESY 
 
 To be polite is to do and say 
 
 The kindest things in the kindest way. 
 
 THE READY ANSWER 
 
 A very wealthy man, arriving in Boston, was met by a 
 dirty-faced boy, who was shouting: "Morning paper, two 
 cents!" 
 
 The man bought a paper and gave the boy in payment 
 a five-cent piece. While the boy was getting the change, the 
 man said, "Keep the three cents and buy a cake of soap 
 with which to wash your face." 
 
 The boy had by this time found the money, which he 
 handed to the man, saying: "Take the money and buy a 
 book on politeness." 
 
 The man was very much ashamed of himself and hurried 
 away, while those near by smiled at the boy 's ready answer. 
 
 Read : "For the Little Boy Who Will Not Say Please," 
 from Burt's Stories from Plato. 
 
 5 PERSEVEEANCE 
 
 The fisher who draws in his net too soon 
 
 Won't have any fish to sell; 
 The child who shuts up his book too soon 
 
 Won't learn any lessons well. 
 
 — Ibid 
 
 Read: "Bernard of Tuileries" and "A Tribune of the 
 People," from Marden's Stories from Life; Bible, Luke 
 9:62. 
 
 Sing: "In Life's Morning," from School Song Knap- 
 sack. 
 
 Birthdays : Ole Borneman Bull, a noted Norwegian vio- 
 linist, born at Bergen, Norway, February 5, 1810; died 
 August 17, 1880. 
 
 Dwight Lyman Moody, an American revival preacher, 
 
130 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 born at Northfield, Mass., February 5, 1837 ; died at East 
 Northfield, December 22, 1899. 
 
 6 COURAGE 
 
 I dare do all that may become a man; who dares do 
 more is none. — Shakespeare 
 
 TEN THINGS TO REMEMBER 
 
 There are ten things for which no one has ever yet been 
 sorry. These are: For doing good to all; for speaking 
 evil of none; for hearing before judging; for thinking 
 before speaking; for holding an angry tongue; for being 
 kind to the distressed; for asking pardon for all wrongs; 
 for being patient towards everybody ; for stopping the ears 
 to a talebearer; for disbelieving most of the ill reports. 
 
 — Selected 
 
 Birthday: Sir Henry Irving, a noted English actor, 
 born at Keinton, England, February 6, 1838 ; died at Brad- 
 ford, England, October 13, 1905. [His real name was John 
 Henry Brodribb.] 
 
 7 SUCCESS 
 
 It is when onr budding hopes are nipped beyond re- 
 covery by some rough wind, that we are the most 
 disposed to picture to ourselves what flowers they might 
 have borne if they had flourished. — Dickens 
 
 "WHATEVER IS "WORTH DOING" 
 
 Once when Charles Dickens was asked for the secret of 
 his success, he replied that it was due to hard work and a 
 motto which he had faithfully tried to live up to: "What- 
 ever is worth doing is worth doing well. ' ' His son said of 
 him: "Whatever he did, he put his whole heart into, and 
 did as well as he could. Whether it was for work or for 
 play, he was always in earnest." One of Dickens' sayings 
 
FEBRUARY 131 
 
 was : ' ' Boys, do all the good you can, and don 't make any 
 fuss about it. ' ' 
 
 Read: Dickens' David Copperfield, which is almost the 
 true story of Dickens' own life; Pickwick Papers; Oliver 
 Twist; Nicholas Nickleby; The Old Curiosity Shop; A 
 Christmas Carol; also " Dickens in Camp," by Bret Harte. 
 
 Birthday: Charles Dickens, a famous English writer 
 of novels and one of the world's greatest story-tellers, born 
 at Landport, England, February 7, 1812 ; died at his home, 
 called Gadshill, near Rochester, England, June 9, 1870. 
 
 8 WORTH 
 
 A thing is worth precisely what it can do for you, 
 not what you choose to pay for it. — Buskin 
 
 Read: Ruskin's The King of the Golden River. 
 
 Birthdays: John Ruskin, a famous English art critic 
 and author, born in London, England, February 8, 1819; 
 died at Brantwood, England, January 20, 1900. 
 
 William Tecumseh Sherman, an American general, born 
 at Lancaster, Ohio, February 8, 1820; died in New York 
 City, February 14, 1891. 
 
 Richard "Watson Gilder, an American poet, born at Bor- 
 dentown, N. J., February 8, 1844; died November 18, 1909. 
 
 9 WORK 
 
 The genius of success is still the genius of labor. 
 
 — Garfield 
 
 A DAWNING DAY 
 
 BY THOMAS CARLYLE 
 
 So here hath been dawning 
 Another blue day. 
 Think ! Wilt thou let it 
 Slip useless away? 
 
132 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Out of Eternity 
 This new day is born ; 
 Into Eternity 
 At night doth return. 
 
 Behold it beforehand 
 No eye ever did; 
 So soon it forever 
 From all eyes is hid. 
 
 Here hath been dawning 
 Another blue day. 
 Think ! wilt thou let it 
 Slip useless away? 
 
 Read: " Training for Greatness," from Marden's Sto- 
 ries from Life. 
 
 Sing : "The Work of the Week," from Songs in Season. 
 
 Birthdays: William Henry Harrison, ninth president 
 of the United States, born in Berkeley, Va., February 9, 
 1773; died in Washington, D. C, just one month after 
 taking the oath of office, April 4, 1841. 
 
 George Ade, an American author and playwright, born 
 in Kentland, Ind., February 9, 1866; living at Hazelden 
 Farm, Brook, Ind. 
 
 Paul Laurence Dunbar, an American poet of African 
 descent, born at Dayton, Ohio, June 27, 1872 ; died at Dun- 
 bar, Ohio, February 9, 1906. 
 
 Special Day: Arbor Day in Louisiana. (See Arbor 
 Day, April 19 and 20, this book.) 
 
 10 GOODNESS 
 
 The plainest face has beauty, 
 
 If the owner's kind and true; 
 And that's the kind of beauty 
 
 My boy and girl, for you. 
 
FEBRUARY 133 
 
 "THE HANDSOMEST MAN I EVER SAW" 
 
 Among the many stories told of President Lincoln the 
 following deserves a worthy place : Hon. Thaddeus Stevens 
 called with an elderly lady in great trouble, whose son had 
 been in the army, but for some offense had been court- 
 martialed and sentenced either to death or imprisonment. 
 After a full hearing, the President proceeded to execute 
 the paper granting pardon. The gratitude of the mother 
 was too deep for expression, save by her tears, and not a 
 word was said between her and Mr. Stevens until they 
 were half way down the stairs when she suddenly broke 
 forth in an excited manner with the words, "I knew it was 
 a copperhead lie!" "What do you refer to, madam?" 
 asked Mr. Stevens. "Why, they told me he was an ugly- 
 looking man," she replied, with vehemence. "He is the 
 handsomest man I ever saw in my life ! ' ' 
 
 11 PERSEVEBANCE 
 
 Strongest minds 
 Are often those of whom the noisy world 
 Hears least. — Wordsworth 
 
 THE STORY OF EDISON 
 
 Thomas A. Edison was born a poor boy. He received 
 but little education, and when quite young became a news- 
 boy on a railroad train. Becoming interested in chemistry, 
 he fitted up a small laboratory in one of the cars, where he 
 tried experiments ; but one day he came near setting fire to 
 the train, and as a consequence he and his whole outfit were 
 kicked out by the conductor. He then got some old type 
 and began printing a little newspaper of his own, which 
 he sold on the trains. 
 
 Having become acquainted with the telegraph operators 
 along the line, he learned how to telegraph, and got a place 
 in a telegraph office. Here again he tried so many experi- 
 ments and attempted so many things thought to be im- 
 
134 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 possible, that he soon got the name of "Looney" (for luna- 
 tic) and lost his situation. This did not discourage him, 
 and he became so skillful an operator that he was given 
 the best place in the telegraph office in Boston. After ex- 
 perimenting a long time Mr. Edison discovered a way of 
 sending several telegraphic messages at one time over the 
 same wires. He also made many improvements in the 
 telephone and in electric light; but his greatest invention 
 is the phonograph. 
 
 Read: Habberton's Poor Boys' Chances; Hamilton 
 Wright Mabie's Men Who Have Bisen; Macomber's Stories 
 of Great Inventors. 
 
 Sing : ' ' Work, for the Night is Coming, ' ' from American 
 School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Daniel Boone, an American hunter and 
 pioneer, born in Bucks County, Pa., February 11, 1735; 
 died in Missouri, September 26, 1820. 
 
 Thomas A. Edison, an American inventor, born in Milan, 
 Ohio, February 11, 1847; lives at Llewellyn Park, West 
 Orange, N. J. 
 
 12 ABEAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 Great captains, with their guns and drums, 
 
 Disturb our judgment for the hour, 
 But at last silence comes; 
 
 These all are gone, and, standing like a tower, 
 Our children shall behold his fame: 
 
 The kindly-earnest, brave, foreseeing man, 
 Sagacious, patient, dreading praise, not blame, 
 
 New birth of our new soil, the first American. 
 — James Russell Lowell 
 
 THE SOLDIER'S REPRIEVE 
 
 MRS. R. D. C. ROBBINS 
 PART I 
 
 "I thought, Mr. Allan, when I gave my Bennie to his 
 country, that not a father in all this broad land made so 
 
FEBRUARY 135 
 
 precious a gift — no, not one. The dear boy only slept a 
 minute, just one little minute, at his post. I know that 
 was all, for Bennie never dozed over a duty. How prompt 
 and reliable he was! I know he only slept one little 
 second; — he was so young, and not strong, that boy of 
 mine ! Why, he was as tall as I, and only eighteen ! And 
 now they shoot him — because he was found asleep when 
 doing sentinel-duty. ' Twenty-four hours,' the telegram 
 said. Only twenty-four hours! Where is Bennie now?" 
 
 "We will hope, with his Heavenly Father/' said Mr. 
 Allan, soothingly. 
 
 ' ' Yes, yes ; let us hope. God is very merciful ! * I should 
 be ashamed, father,' Bennie said, 'when I am a man, to 
 think I never used this great right arm' (and he held it 
 out so proudly before me) 'for my country, when it needed 
 it. Palsy it, rather than keep it at the plow. ' ' Go, then — 
 go, my boy,' I said, 'and God keep you!' God has kept 
 him, I think, Mr. Allan." 
 
 "Like the apple of his eye, Mr. Owen; doubt it not." 
 
 Little Blossom sat near them, listening, with blanched 
 cheek. She had not shed a tear. Her anxiety had been 
 so concealed that no one had noticed it. Now she answered 
 a gentle tap at the kitchen door, opening it to receive a 
 letter from a neighbor's hand. "It is from him," was all 
 she said. 
 
 It was like a message from the dead ! Mr. Owen took the 
 letter, but could not break the envelope on account of his 
 trembling fingers, and held it toward Mr. Allan, with the 
 helplessness of a child. 
 
 The minister opened it, and read as follows: — 
 
 "Dear Father: When this reaches you — I — shall — be 
 in — eternity. At first it seemed awful to me; but I have 
 thought about it so much now, that it has no terror. They 
 say they will not bind me nor blind me, but that I may 
 meet my death like a man. I thought, father, it might have 
 
136 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 been on the battlefield for my country, and that, when I 
 fell, it would be fighting gloriously; but to be shot down 
 like a dog for nearly betraying it — to die for neglect of 
 duty ! — oh, father, I wonder the very thought does not kill 
 me ! But I shall not disgrace you. I am going to write you 
 all about it; and, when I am gone, you may tell my com- 
 rades. I can not now. You know I promised Jimmie 
 Carr's mother I would look after her boy; and, when be- 
 fell sick, I did all I could for him. He was not strong when 
 ordered back into the ranks, and the day before that night I 
 carried all his luggage, besides my own, on our march. 
 Toward night we went in on double-quick, and though the 
 luggage began to feel very heavy, everybody else was tired 
 too. And as for Jimmie, if I had not lent him an arm now 
 and then, he would have dropped by the way. I was all 
 tired out when we went into camp, and then it was Jimmie 's 
 turn to be sentry, and I would take his place ; but I was too 
 tired, father. I could not have kept awake if a gun had 
 been pointed at my head; but I did not know it until — 
 well — until it was too late." 
 
 ''God be thanked!" said Mr. Owen. "I knew Bennie 
 was not the boy to sleep carelessly at his post." 
 
 "They tell me, to-day, that I have a short reprieve — ■ 
 ' time to write to you, ' our good colonel says. Forgive him, 
 father; he only does his duty; he would gladly save me 
 if he could. And do not lay my death up against Jimmie. 
 The poor boy is broken-hearted, and does nothing but beg 
 and entreat them to let him die in my stead. 
 
 1 * I can 't bear to think of mother and Blossom. Comfort 
 them, father! Tell them I die as a brave boy should, and 
 that, when the war is over, they will not be ashamed of me, 
 as they must be now. God help me ; it is very hard to bear ! 
 Good-by, father! God seems near and dear to me, as if 
 he felt sorry for his poor, broken-hearted child, and would 
 take me to be with him — in a better, better life. 
 
 "To-night I shall see the cows all coming home from 
 
FEBRUARY 137 
 
 pasture, and precious little Blossom standing on the back 
 stoop, waiting for me; but — I — shall never — never — come! 
 God bless you all ! Forgive your poor Bennie. ' ' 
 
 PART II 
 
 Late that night a little figure glided down the foot-path 
 toward the Mill Depot. The conductor, as he reached down 
 to lift her into the car, wondered at the tear-stained face 
 that was* upturned toward the dim lantern he held in his 
 hand. 
 
 A few questions and ready answers told him all; and 
 no father could have cared more tenderly for his only 
 child, than he for our little Blossom. She was on her way 
 to Washington, to ask President Lincoln for her brother's 
 life. She had brought Bennie 's letter with her; no good, 
 kind heart, like the President's, could refuse to be melted 
 by it. 
 
 The next morning they reached New York, and the con- 
 ductor hurried her on to Washington. Every minute, now, 
 might be the means of saving her brother's life. 
 
 The President had but just seated himself to his even- 
 ing's task, when the door softly opened, and Blossom, with 
 downcast eyes and folded hands, stood before him. 
 
 "Well, my child," he said, in his pleasant, cheerful 
 tones, "what do you want?" 
 
 " Bennie 's life, please, sir," faltered Blossom. 
 
 1 ' Bennie ! Who is Bennie ? ' ' 
 
 "My brother, sir. They are going to shoot him for 
 sleeping at his post." 
 
 "Oh, yes; I remember. It was a fatal sleep. You see, 
 child, it was a time of special danger. Thousands of lives 
 might have been lost by his negligence." 
 
 "So my father said," replied Blossom, gravely. "But 
 poor Bennie was so tired, sir, and Jimmie so weak. He did 
 the work of two, sir, and it was Jimmie 's night, not his; 
 
138 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 but Jimmie was too tired, and Bennie never thought about 
 himself, that he was tired too." 
 
 "What is this you say, child 1 : Come here; 1 do not 
 understand." Ami the kind man, as ever, caught eagerly 
 at what seemed to be a justification of an offense. 
 
 Blossom went to him. lie put his hand tenderly on her 
 shoulder, and turned up the pale, anxious face toward 
 his. Mow tall he seemed! And he was President of the 
 United States, too! A dim thought of this kind passed for 
 a moment through Blossom's mind; but she told her simple, 
 straightforward story, and handed Bennie s letter to Mr. 
 Lincoln to read. 
 
 He read it carefully; then, taking up his pen, wrote a 
 few hasty lines and rang his bell. Blossom heard this 
 order given: "Send this dispatch at once." 
 
 The President then turned to the girl, and said: "Go 
 home, my child, and tell that father of yours, who could 
 approve his country's sentence, even when it took the life 
 oi' a child like that, that Abraham Lincoln thinks the life 
 far too precious to be lost. Go back, or — wait until to- 
 morrow ; Bennie will need a change after he has so bravely 
 faced death; he shall go with you." 
 
 "(led bless you, sir!" said Blossom. 
 
 Two days after this interview, the young soldier came 
 to the "White House with his little sister. He was called 
 into the President's private room, and a strap fastened 
 upon his shoulder. Mr, Lincoln then said: "The soldier 
 that could carry a sick comrade's baggage, and die for the 
 act so uncomplainingly, deserves well of his country." 
 
 Then Bennie and Blossom took their way to their Green- 
 Mountain home. A crowd gathered at the Mill Depot to 
 welcome them back; and, as Farmer Owen's hand grasped 
 that of his boy, tears flowed down his cheeks, and he was 
 heard to say fervently, "The Lord be praised!" 
 
 Learn: "The Gettysburg Address." 
 
FEBRUARY 139 
 
 Read: Speeches by Lincoln; "Abraham Lincoln," from 
 Our Holidays: Keloid from tit. Nicholas; Arnold's Life of 
 Abraham Lincoln; Baldwin's Abraham Lincoln; "Training 
 Tor Greatness/' in Mar den's Stories from Life, The Per- 
 fect Tribute, by Andrews. For tributes in verse, songs, 
 entertainment, etc., procure a copy of Sindelar's Lincoln 
 Day "Entertainments, 
 
 Sing: "Lincoln," from Hongs in Season, and 
 "America." 
 
 Birthdays: Cotton Mather, a famous New England 
 divine and author, born in Boston, Mass., February 12, 
 1663; died in Boston, February 13, 1728. 
 
 Tadensz (Thaddeus) Kosciuszko, a Polish patriot, born 
 near Novogrudek, in Lithuania, February 12, 1746; died 
 in Solothurn, Switzerland, October 15, 1817. (Was aide- 
 de-camp to General Washington, and served with honor 
 until the end of the Revolution, when he went back to his 
 native country.) 
 
 Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth president of the United 
 States, born in Hardin County, Ky., February 12, 1809; 
 shot by an assassin [John Wilkes Booth] at Ford's Theater, 
 Washington, April 14, 1865, and died the following day. 
 
 Charles R. Darwin, an English writer on natural his- 
 tory, born in Shrewsbury, England, February 12, 1809; 
 died at Down, Kent, England, April 19, 1882. 
 
 George Meredith, an English novelist and poet, born in 
 Hampshire, England, February 12, 1828, died at Boxhill, 
 Surrey, England, May 18, 1909. 
 
 13 ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
 [Continued] 
 
 My captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still; 
 
 My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will; 
 
 The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done: 
 
 From fearful trip, the victor ship comes in, with object won; 
 
140 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Exult, O shores; and ring, bells! 
 
 But I, with mournful tread, 
 Walk the deck; my captain lies, 
 
 Fallen, cold, and dead. 
 
 — Walt Whitman, 1865 
 
 "HE BELONGS TO THE AGES" 
 
 Lincoln, who was shot a little after ten o'clock in the 
 evening, lingered, unconscious, until early the next morn- 
 ing. When his spirit passed away, Secretary Stanton was 
 the first to break the silence by saying, ' ' Now he belongs to 
 the ages." The grief of the people for the Nation's hero 
 was well-nigh universal. 
 
 Read : Anecdotes pertaining to Lincoln given elsewhere 
 in this book. (See index.) 
 
 14 ST. VALENTINE'S DAY 
 
 Every joy that heart can hold 
 
 Be thine this day a thousandfold. 
 
 THE DAY 
 
 Custom decrees that on this day the young shall exchange 
 missives in which the love of the sender is told in verses, 
 pictures and sentiment. No reason beyond a guess can 
 be given to connect St. Valentine with these customs. He 
 was a Christian martyr, about 270 a. d., while the practice 
 of sending valentines had its origin in the heathen worship 
 of Juno. It is Cupid's day, and no boy or girl needs any 
 encouragement to make the most of it. — Oar Holidays 
 
 Read: "Who Began It," from Our Holidays: Retold 
 from St. Nicholas. 
 
 Sing: "Valentine Day," from Songs in Season. 
 
 Birthdays: Sir William Blackstone, author of a famous 
 law-book called Commentaries of the Laws of England, 
 
FEBRUARY 141 
 
 born in London, England, July 10, 1723 ; died February 14, 
 1780. 
 
 Winfield Scott Hancock, an American general, born in 
 Montgomery County, Pa., February 14, 1824; died at 
 Governor's Island, N. Y., February 9, 1886. 
 
 Special Day : St. Valentine 's Day. 
 
 15 FRIENDS 
 
 On the choice of friends 
 Our good or evil name depends. 
 — Gay 
 
 Birthdays: Galileo, an Italian philosopher and mathe- 
 matician, born at Pisa, Italy, February 15, 1564; died at 
 Arcetri, near Florence, Italy, January 8, 1642. 
 
 Cyrus Hall McCormick, an American inventor, born at 
 Walnut Grove, Va., February 15, 1809; died in Chicago, 
 111., May 13, 1884. 
 
 16 PERSEVERANCE 
 
 Everything comes to him who waits — and hustles 
 while he waits. 
 
 DON'T GIVE UP 
 
 BY PHCEBE CARY 
 
 If youVe tried and have not won, 
 
 Never stop for crying; 
 All that's great and good is done 
 
 Just by patient trying. 
 
 Though young birds, in flying, fall, 
 Still their wings grow stronger ; 
 
 And the next time they can keep 
 Up a little longer. 
 
142 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Though the sturdy oak has known 
 
 Many a blast that bowed her, 
 She has risen again, and grown 
 
 Loftier and prouder. 
 
 If by easy work you beat, 
 
 "Who the more will prize you? 
 Gaining victory from defeat, 
 
 That 's the test that tries you ! 
 
 Birthday : Ernst H. Haeckel, a noted German naturalist, 
 born at Potsdam, Prussia, February 16, 1834. 
 
 17 A GOOD NAME 
 
 He who steals my purse steals trash, 
 But he that filches from me my good name 
 Robs me of that which not enriches him, 
 And makes me poor indeed. 
 
 — Shakespeare 
 
 18 DEVOTION 
 
 He prayeth well, who loveth well 
 
 Both man and bird and beast. 
 
 He prayeth best who loveth best 
 
 All things both great and small, 
 
 For the dear God who loveth us — 
 
 He made and loveth all. 
 
 — From "Ancient Mariner" hy Coleridge 
 
 CHAELES AND MARY LAMB 
 
 No man was more sympathetic than Charles Lamb. He 
 led a brave life. His sister Mary had times when she lost 
 her reason, and at one of these times she actually killed her 
 own mother. Charles, who was at this time but twenty- 
 one years of age, resolved to sacrifice his life to his "poor, 
 dear, dearest sister," and voluntarily became her com- 
 panion. He gave up all thoughts of home and society. 
 Under the strong influence of duty, he renounced the only 
 
FEBRUARY 143 
 
 attachment he had ever formed. With an income of 
 scarcely five hundred dollars a year, he trod the journey 
 of life alone, fortified by his attachment for his sister. 
 Neither pleasure nor toil ever diverted him from his pur- 
 pose. 
 
 When released from the asylum, Mary devoted part of 
 her time to the composition of the Tales from Shakespeare, 
 and other works. When she felt a fit of insanity coming 
 on, Charles would take her under his arm and together 
 they would walk sadly across the fields to the asylum. 
 
 When she had recovered her reason, she went home again 
 to her brother, who joyfully received her — treating her 
 with the utmost tenderness. "God loves her," he said; 
 ' ' may we two never love each other less. ' ' Their affection 
 continued for forty years, without a cloud, except such 
 as arose from, the fluctuations of her health. 
 
 Read: Selections from Tales from Shakespeare, by 
 Charles and Mary Lamb ; ' ' Damon and Pythias, ' ' as given 
 on p. 32 of this book. 
 
 Sing: "The Lord is My Shepherd/' from American 
 School Songs. 
 
 Birthday : Charles Lamb, a famous English writer, born 
 in London, England, February 18, 1775 ; died in Edmonton, 
 England, December 27, 1834. 
 
 19 DEEDS 
 
 A man of words and not of deeds 
 Is like a garden full of weeds. 
 
 Birthdays: Nikolaus Copernicus, a famous astronomer, 
 born in Thorn, Poland, February 19, 1473 ; died at Frauen- 
 burg, Prussia, May 24, 1543. 
 
 Edgar Allen Poe, an American poet and story writer, 
 born in Boston, Mass., February 19, 1809; died in Balti- 
 more, Md., October 7, 1849. 
 
144 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Adeline Patti, a celebrated Italian opera singer, born in 
 Madrid, Spain, February 19, 1843; lives in Wales. 
 
 20 INDUSTEY 
 
 Plow deep while sluggards sleep, and you'll have 
 corn to sell and keep. — Franklin 
 
 THE IDLE LITTLE BOY 
 
 There was once an idle little boy. He did not know 
 much. His mother sent him to school. He did not wish to 
 go, so he went off to play. 
 
 He said, "How pretty the trees look! The sun shines 
 and the birds sing. I will not go to school. I will play." 
 
 Soon he saw a bee. The bee flew from flower to flower. 
 The little boy said, "Come and play with me." 
 
 But the bee said, "No, I must get some honey. I must 
 not be idle." So he flew away. 
 
 Then the little boy met a dog. "Dog, will you play with 
 me?" he said. 
 
 But the dog said, "I must not be idle. I must go and 
 catch a rabbit." 
 
 Then the boy saw a bird. He said, "Birdie, come and 
 play with me. ' ' 
 
 But the bird said, "I must make a nest." So the bird 
 flew away. 
 
 Then a horse came along. "Horse, will you play with 
 me?" 
 
 "No, I must go and plough the field. Then we can have 
 some corn." 
 
 "Oh, dear! I will go to school. I can't play alone," said 
 the boy. So off he went to school and learned his lessons. 
 — Tweed's Supplementary Reader 
 
 Birthdays: David Garrick, an English actor, born in 
 Hereford, England, February 20, 1716; died in London, 
 England, January 20, 1779. 
 
FEBRUARY 145 
 
 Joseph Jefferson, a noted American actor, born in Phila- 
 delphia, Pa., February 20, 1829 ; died at Palm Beach, Fla., 
 April 23, 1905. 
 
 21 PATEIOTISM 
 
 Oh, Washington! thou hero, patriot, sage, 
 Friend of all climes and pride of every age! 
 
 — Thomas Paine 
 
 THE VETERAN ARMY 
 
 During our Revolutionary War, eighty old German sol- 
 diers, who, after having long served under different mon- 
 archs in Europe, had retired to America and converted 
 their swords into plowshares, voluntarily formed them- 
 selves into a company, and distinguished themselves in 
 various actions in the cause of independence. The captain 
 was nearly one hundred years old, had been in the army 
 forty years, and present in seventeen battles. The drummer 
 was ninety-four, and the youngest man in the corps on the 
 verge of seventy. 
 
 Instead of a cockade, each man wore a piece of black 
 crape, as a mark of sorrow for being obliged, at so advanced 
 a period of life, to bear arms. "But," said the veterans, 
 "we should be deficient in gratitude, if we did not act in 
 defense of a country which has afforded us a generous 
 asylum, and protected us from tyranny and oppression. ' ? 
 Such a band of soldiers never before perhaps appeared on 
 the field of battle. 
 
 Read : Bible, Psalm 136. 
 
 Sing: "Washington," from American School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: John Henry Newman, an English cardinal 
 and author, born in London, England, February 21, 1801; 
 died at Edgbaston, England, August 11, 1890. 
 
 [James] Bradner Matthews, an American author, born 
 in New Orleans, La., February 21, 1852 ; lives in New York 
 City. 
 
146 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 22 WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY 
 
 O Washington! thrice glorious name, 
 What due rewards can man decree — 
 
 Empires are far below thy aim, 
 
 And scepters have no charms for thee; 
 
 Virtue alone has your regard, 
 
 And she must be your great reward. 
 
 — Philip Freneau 
 
 THE INFLUENCE OF A GREAT NAME 
 
 When Washington consented to act as commander-in- 
 chief, it was felt as if the strength of the American forces 
 had been more than doubled. Many years later, in 1798, 
 when Washington, grown old, had withdrawn from public 
 life and was living in retirement at Mount Vernon, and 
 when it seemed probable that France would declare war 
 against the United States, President Adams wrote to him, 
 saying, "We must have your name, if you will permit us 
 to use it; there will be more efficacy in it than in many 
 an army." Such was the esteem in which the great Presi- 
 dent's noble character and eminent abilities were held by 
 his countrymen! 
 
 Head: "Character of Washington/ ' from Cyr's Fifth 
 Reader; "Our Greatest Patriot," from Blaisdell and Ball's 
 Hero Tales from American History; "The Boyhood of 
 Washington," from Our Holidays: Retold from St. Nich- 
 olas. Use Sindelar's Washington Day Entertainments in 
 preparing an entertainment program. 
 
 Sing: "Washington Song" and "The First Flag," 
 from Songs in Season; "Mount Vernon Bells," from School 
 Song Knapsack. 
 
 Birthdays: George Washington, "The Father of His 
 Country" and first president of the United States, born in 
 Westmoreland County, Va., February 22, 1732; died at 
 Mt. Vernon, Va., December 14, 1799. 
 
 Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, a French landscape painter, 
 
FEBRUARY 147 
 
 born in Paris, France, in July, 1796; died in Paris, Feb- 
 ruary 22, 1875. 
 
 Sarah Flower Adams, an English poet, born at Great 
 Harlow, County Essex, England, February 22, 1805; died 
 in August, 1848. Author of "Nearer, My God, to Thee," etc. 
 
 James Russell Lowell, a famous American poet, born in 
 Cambridge, Mass., February 22, 1819 ; died in Cambridge, 
 Mass., August 12, 1891. 
 
 Special Days: Washington's Birthday; Lowell's Birth- 
 day; Arbor Day in Alabama and Texas. (See Arbor Day, 
 April 19 and 20, this book.) 
 
 23 WASHINGTON'S EULES OF CONDUCT 
 
 [Found among his private papers after his death.] 
 
 Be no flatterer. 
 
 Mock not, nor jest at anything of importance. 
 
 Be not hasty to believe flying reports to the disparage- 
 ment of any one. 
 
 Undertake not what you can not perform, but be care- 
 ful to keep your promises. 
 
 Show not yourself glad at the misfortunes of another, 
 though he were your enemy. 
 
 When a man does all he can though he succeed not well, 
 blame not him that did it. 
 
 Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of 
 celestial fire called conscience. 
 
 Whenever you reprove another be not blamable yourself 
 for example is more prevalent than precept. 
 
 Associate yourself with men of good quality, if you 
 esteem your own reputation, for it is better to be 
 alone than in bad company. 
 
 Whisper not in the company of others. 
 
 Read no letters, books, or papers in company. 
 
 Every action in company ought to be some sign of 
 respect to those present. 
 
 Come not near the books or writing of any one so as 
 to read them unasked. 
 
 Speak not when others speak. 
 
 Speak no evil of the absent, for it is unjust. 
 
 Let your conversation be without malice or envy. 
 
 Be not apt to relate news if you know not the truth 
 thereof. 
 
 Speak not in an unknown tongue in company, but in 
 your own language. 
 
148 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Use no reproachful language against any one, neither 
 
 curse, nor revile. 
 When another speaks be attentive yourself, and disturb 
 
 not the audience. 
 
 Birthday: Sir Joshua Reynolds, a noted English por- 
 trait painter, born at Plympton, Devonshire, England, July 
 16, 1723; died in London, England, February 23, 1792. 
 
 24 WISDOM 
 
 Have more than thou showest 
 Speak less than thou knowest. 
 — Shakespeare 
 
 ROBERT PULTON 
 
 When Fulton was building his steamboat, the Clermont, 
 everybody laughed at him. They thought he was wasting 
 his time and that a boat could not be run except by sails 
 or with an engine turned by men. But when the Clermont 
 was seen moving along on the Hudson River against both 
 wind and tide, the shores rang with shouts of delight, and 
 those who had jeered him were silent with wonder. In 
 1814 Fulton built for the United States the first steam 
 war-vessel ever made. 
 
 Sing: "Boat Song/' from Merry Melodies. 
 
 Birthdays : Robert Fulton, a famous American inventor, 
 born at Little Britain, Lancaster County, Pa., in 1765; 
 died in New York City, February 24, 1815. 
 
 Winslow Homer, an American painter, born in Boston, 
 Mass., February 24, 1836 ; died at Scarboro, Me., September 
 29, 1910. 
 
 25 TIME 
 
 Lost, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two 
 !?olden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. 
 No reward is offered for they are lost forever. 
 
 — Horace Mann 
 
FEBRUARY 149 
 
 Birthday: Camille Plammarion, a French astronomer, 
 born at Montigny-le-Eoi, Haute-Marne, France, February 
 25, 1842. 
 
 26 PROGBESS 
 
 My idea is this: ever onward. If God had intended 
 that man should go backward, he would have given 
 him an eye in the back of his head. — Victor Hugo 
 
 Read: "The Good Bishop,'' from Les Miserables, by 
 Victor Hugo, in Cabot's Ethics for Children. 
 
 Sing: "Sing, Smile, Slumber," from Songs Every One 
 Should Know. 
 
 Birthday: Victor M. Hugo, a famous French poet and 
 novel writer, born in Besancon, France, February 26, 1802 ; 
 died in Paris, France, May 22, 1885. 
 
 27 LONGFELLOW'S BIRTHDAY 
 
 "lis always morning somewhere, and above 
 The awakening continents, from shore to shore, 
 Somewhere the birds are singing evermore. 
 
 — Longfellow 
 
 Learn: Longfellow's ''Excelsior," "The Legend Beau- 
 tiful," "Robert of Sicily" and "The Psalm of Life." 
 
 Read : The Story of Longfellow, by Beebe ; "Longfellow 
 and the Children," from Our Holidays: Retold from St. 
 Nicholas; selections from Longfellow 's writings. 
 
 Sing: "Longfellow," from Songs in Season; "Stars of 
 the Summer Night," from Songs Every One Should Know; 
 "The Ship of State," "A Psalm of Life," and "Life is 
 Real, Life is Earnest," from Uncle Sam's School Songs. 
 
 Birthday: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a famous 
 American poet, born in Portland, Maine, February 27, 1807 ; 
 died in Cambridge, Mass., March 24, 1882. 
 
150 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 28 PATRIOTISM 
 
 Our band is few, but true and tried, our leader frank and bold: 
 The British soldier trembles when Marion's name is told. 
 Our fortress is the good greenwood, our tent the cypress tree: 
 We know the forest round us, as seamen know the sea; 
 We know its walls of thorny vines, its glades of reedy grass, 
 Its safe and silent islands within the dark morass. 
 
 — From "Song of Marion's Men" by Bryant 
 
 "THE SWAMP FOX" 
 
 General Francis Marion was a daring and useful officer 
 in the Revolution. Sometimes he would fight with the army, 
 sometimes with bands of patriotic farmers and backwoods- 
 men on horseback, dashing through the country, surprising 
 the enemy at different points in the same day, then vanish- 
 ing as suddenly. The British were in constant dread of 
 ''the Swamp Fox," as they called him. Marion and his 
 men lived in the swamps and forests, and had little food 
 or clothing. A British officer sent to ask an exchange of 
 prisoners, was led blindfolded into Marion 's camp at Snow 
 Island. When their business was concluded Marion invited 
 the officer to dinner. To his utter astonishment, he saw 
 some roasted potatoes brought forward on a piece of bark, 
 of which the general partook freely and invited his guest 
 to do the same. "Surely, General," said the officer, "this 
 cannot be your ordinary fare!" "Indeed it is," replied 
 Marion, "and we are fortunate on this occasion, entertain- 
 ing company, to have more than our usual allowance." It 
 is said that the young officer, on his return to Georgetown, 
 gave up his commission, declaring that such a people could 
 not be, and ought not to be, subdued. 
 
 Read: Bryant's "Song of Marion's Men;" Simms' 
 "Marion the Swamp Fox." 
 
 Francis Marion, "The Swamp Fox," an American gen- 
 eral in the Revolution, born near Georgetown, S. Car., in 
 1732; died February 28, 1795. 
 
MARCH 
 
 1 MAECH 
 
 O March that blusters, and March that blows, 
 What color under your footstep grows? 
 
 Beauty you summon from winter's snows 
 
 And you are the pathway that leads to the rose. 
 — From "March," by Celia Thaxter 
 
 Birthdays: Frederic Francois Chopin, a celebrated 
 Polish composer and pianist, born near Warsaw, Poland, 
 March 1, 1809 ; died in Paris, France, October 17, 1849. 
 
 William Dean Howells, an American novelist and poet, 
 born in Martinsville, Ohio, March 1, 1837 ; resides in New 
 York City. 
 
 2 WISDOM 
 
 True wisdom is to know what is best worth knowing, 
 and to do what is best worth doing. — Humphreys 
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF SAM HOUSTON 
 
 When Sam Houston was quite young he left home and 
 went to live with the Cherokee Indians, one of whose chiefs 
 adopted him for his son. He became noted as an Indian 
 fighter, and fought bravely under General Jackson at the 
 battle of Tallapoosa (March 24, 1814). In 1827 he was 
 chosen governor of Tennessee, but resigned his office and 
 went back to the Indians. In 1834 he went to Texas, then 
 a part of Mexico, and when in 1835 the Texans began a 
 war of independence he was made commander-in-chief of 
 the army. He met the Mexican army under Santa Anna, 
 the Mexican president, at the San Jacinto River, and 
 
152 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 though he had only half as many men Houston gained a 
 splendid victory (April 21, 1836). The next day Santa 
 Anna himself was captured, and forced to sign a treaty 
 by which Texas was made independent. Houston was twice 
 elected president of Texas', and ruled the country well and 
 wisely. He made treaties with Indian tribes, brought back 
 trade and peace with Mexico, and finally succeeded in hav- 
 ing Texas admitted to the Union (1845). After that he was 
 United States Senator and governor of Texas. 
 
 Sing : ' ' Hail ! Columbia, ' ' and ' ' The Flag of the Union, 
 Forever,' ' from Uncle Sam's School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Sam Houston, an American soldier, born 
 near Lexington, Va., March 2, 1793; died at Huaterville, 
 Texas, July 25, 1863. 
 
 Carl Schurz, a German- American statesman and journal- 
 ist, born near Cologne, Germany, March 2, 1829 ; died May 
 14, 1906. 
 
 Special Day: Anniversary of Texas independence, ob- 
 served in Texas. 
 
 3 WORDS 
 
 Every gentle word you say, 
 One dark spirit drives away; 
 Every gentle deed you do, 
 One bright spirit brings to you. 
 
 — V. B. Harrison 
 
 HOW THE TELEPHONE WAS INVENTED 
 
 In a recent lecture Prof. Alexander Graham Bell is 
 reported to have explained, as follows, how he came to 
 invent the telephone : 
 
 1 'My father invented a symbol by which deaf mutes 
 could converse, and finally I invented an apparatus by 
 which the vibrations of speech could be seen, and it turned 
 out to be a telephone. It occurred to me to make a machine 
 that would enable one to hear vibrations. I went to an 
 aurist, and he advised me to take the human ear as my 
 
MARCH 153 
 
 model. He supplied me with a dead man's ear, and with 
 this ear I experimented, and upon applying the apparatus 
 I found that the dead man 's ear wrote down the vibrations. 
 "I arrived at the conclusion that if I could make iron 
 vibrate on a dead man's ear, I could make an instrument 
 more delicate which would cause those vibrations to be 
 heard and understood. I thought if I placed a delicate 
 piece of steel over an electric magnet I could get a vibra- 
 tion, and thus the telephone was completed. The telephone 
 arose from my attempts to teach the deaf to speak. It arose 
 from my knowledge, not of electricity, but as a teacher of 
 the deaf. Had I been an electrician I would not have 
 attempted it." 
 
 Birthday : Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the 
 telephone, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, March 3, 1847; 
 living in Washington, D. C. 
 
 4 INAUGUKATION DAY 
 
 Always vote for a principle, though you vote alone, 
 and you may cherish the sweet reflection that your 
 vote is never lost. — John Quincy Adams 
 
 HOW THE DATE WAS SET 
 
 The date of Inauguration Day was settled by the old 
 Congress of the Confederation in 1788, when the procedure 
 was established for the election of a President. It was 
 decreed that the Electoral College should meet on the first 
 Wednesday of January, the votes be counted by the House 
 of Representatives on the first Wednesday of February, 
 and the President be inaugurated the first Wednesday of 
 March. The March date was the 4th. March 4 has been 
 Inauguration Day ever since. — Our Holidays 
 
 Eead: "How a President Is Inaugurated," from Our 
 Holidays: Retold from St. Nicholas. 
 Sing: " America.' ' 
 
154 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Birthday : Count Casimir Pulaski, a Polish soldier, who 
 fought in the American Revolution, born in Podolia, Poland, 
 March 4, 1748 ; died at Savannah, Ga., October 11, 1779. 
 
 Special Day : Inauguration Day. 
 
 5 DUTY 
 
 Though your duty may be hard, 
 
 Look not on it as an ill; 
 If it be an honest task, 
 
 Do it with an honest will. 
 
 — R. B. Sheridan 
 
 Sing: "Duty and Inclination," from Uncle Sam's 
 School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays : Antonio Allegri Correggio, a famous Italian 
 painter, born at Correggio, now called Reggin, Italy, in 
 1494; died at Correggio, March 5, 1534. 
 
 Howard Pyle, an American artist and writer for young 
 folks, born in Wilmington, Del., March 5, 1853; died in 
 Florence, Italy, November 9, 1911. 
 
 6 BOOKS 
 
 Books are men of higher stature, 
 And the only men that speak aloud for 
 future times to hear! 
 
 — Mrs. Browning 
 
 MY BOOK IS A HOUSE 
 
 BY ABBIE FARWELL BROWN 
 
 It's a curious house, where people dwell, 
 And wonders happen, ill or well. 
 The door-plate gives the house's name, 
 Likewise the builder of the same. 
 
 You enter, if you have a key, 
 And something of a scholar be. 
 You ope the door, and in the hall 
 A picture greets you, first of all. 
 
MARCH 155 
 
 A blazoned notice next you view, 
 The builder's name, the owner's too, 
 The city where the house was made, 
 Date when the cornerstone was laid. 
 
 And then you find a list enrolled 
 Of treasures which the house doth hold, 
 That you may choose what suits your eye, 
 Or if none please may pass them by. 
 
 And then you swing door after door, 
 Each numbered next to that before, 
 From room to room you pass in turn, 
 And many curious things you learn 
 
 About the people of the house 
 (But you must keep still as a mouse). 
 A magic house, then, it must be, 
 For all things happen rapidly; 
 
 Behind its doors years pass away, 
 Though you may but an hour stay. 
 Perhaps around the world you soar 
 Before you pass the other door. 
 
 Yet when this gate is closed behind, 
 You have not stirred a step, you find ! 
 Your hand may move the house at will, 
 Carry it far, or leave it still. 
 
 Though months and years may pass away, 
 Unchanged the house and inmates stay. 
 Your house to sell — or give — or let; 
 Yours to revisit or forget. 
 
 Read : ' ' Sheridan 's Ride, ' ' by Thomas Buchanan Read. 
 
156 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Sing : "The Old School-Bell, ' ' from Uncle Sam's School 
 Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Michael Angelo, a famous Italian painter, 
 sculptor and architect, born near Florence, Italy, March 
 6, 1474; died in Rome, Italy, February 17, 1563. 
 
 Elizabeth Barrett Browning, wife of Robert Browning, 
 a noted English poet, born at Coxhoe Hall, Durham, Eng- 
 land, March 6, 1806; died June 30, 1861. 
 
 Philip H. Sheridan, an American general, born at Somer- 
 set, Ohio, March 6, 1831 ; died August 5, 1888. 
 
 7 BUEBANK DAY 
 
 Flowers are cousins to children — 
 
 So Frederick Froebel thought 
 When he planted the kindergarten, 
 
 Where the children would be taught 
 To grow like the beautiful flowers, 
 
 Under the gardener's care, 
 Removing the harsh and ugly, 
 
 Keeping only the good and fair. 
 — Fannie F. Copeland 
 
 "NATURE'S HELPER" 
 
 Luther Burbank when a boy cared but little for the 
 regular school studies. He liked best to talk to the flowers, 
 to study their ways, and to watch things grow. As he grew 
 older he began to take a still greater interest in his "plant 
 children," and to experiment with them in his endeavor 
 to improve upon nature. Of course this seemed foolish 
 to many people, but Mr. Burbank had an idea that he could 
 do it and he was going to give it a trial. To-day we can 
 see the results of Mr. Burbank 's work in his new creations 
 of flowers, fruits, plants and trees. 
 
 How many have seen the Burbank potato? the improved 
 Shasta daisy? the white blackberry? the Burbank plum? 
 the Burbank prune? But Mr. Burbank 's greatest work 
 is perhaps the improved fruit-bearing cactus. He has made 
 it give up its thorns and its woody fibre, and grow instead 
 
MARCH 157 
 
 a smooth outer covering, a rich juicy leaf and fruit that 
 may be used for food. This cactus will make desert travel 
 safe and will also furnish food for cattle on the vast 
 areas that are annually visited by drouth. 
 
 Bead or tell more of Mr. Burbank's life and work; Bible, 
 Isaiah 35 : 1, 6 and 7. 
 
 Sing: "Flower Day," from Songs in Season; "The 
 Daisy," from American School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays : Sir Edwin Landseer, a famous English artist, 
 born in London, England, March 7, 1802 ; died in London, 
 October 1, 1873. 
 
 Luther Burbank, "nature's helper," born March 7, 1849; 
 lives in Santa Rosa, California. 
 
 Special Day: Arbor Day in California. (See Arbor 
 Day, April 19 and 20, this book.) 
 
 8 CLEANLINESS 
 
 Cleanliness of body was ever esteemed to proceed 
 from a due reverence to God. — Bacon 
 
 CLEAN HANDS 
 
 A dervish of great sanctity one morning had the misfor- 
 tune, as he took up a crystal cup which was consecrated to 
 the Prophet, to let it fall on the ground, breaking it into 
 pieces. His son coming in some time after, he stretched 
 out his hand to bless him, as his manner was every morning ; 
 but the youth, going out, stumbled over the threshold and 
 broke his arm. As the old man wondered at these events, 
 a caravan passed by on its way to Mecca. The dervish 
 approached it to beg a blessing; but, as he stroked one of 
 the holy camels, he received a kick from the beast which 
 sorely bruised him. His sorrow and amazement increased 
 on him, until he recollected, that, through hurry and inad- 
 vertency, he had that morning come abroad without washing 
 his hands. — Eoyal Series 
 
158 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Birthday: John Ericsson, a famous engineer and in- 
 ventor, born in the province of Wermeland, Sweden, July 
 31, 1803 ; died in New York City, March 8, 1889. (Inventor 
 of the turret-ship Monitor, that defeated the Confederate 
 ironclad ship Virginia, formerly the Merrimack, which was 
 many times larger than the Monitor.) 
 
 9 SOWING AND REAPING 
 
 We can never be too careful 
 
 What the seed our hands shall sow, 
 Love from love is sure to ripen, 
 
 Hate from hate is sure to grow. 
 Seeds of good or ill we scatter 
 
 Heedlessly along our way, 
 But a glad or grievous fruitage 
 
 Waits us at the harvest day. 
 Whatsoe'er our sowing be, 
 
 Reaping, we its fruit must see. 
 
 Sing: "Kind Words,' ' from Kellogg 's Best Primary 
 Songs; "Sowing the Seed," from American School Songs. 
 
 Birthday: Franz Joseph Gall, a German physician, 
 founder of Phrenology, born at Tiefenbrunn, near Pfor- 
 zeim, Baden, Germany, March 9, 1758 ; died at Montrouge, 
 near Paris, France, Aug. 22, 1828. 
 
 10 HONESTY 
 
 Whate'er you think, whate'er you do, 
 Whate'er you purpose or pursue, 
 It may be small, but must be true. 
 
 11 TEUST 
 
 I know not where His islands lift 
 
 Their fronded palms in air; 
 I only know I cannot drift 
 
 Beyond His love and care. 
 
 — Whittle?- 
 
 Read : Bible, Luke 12 : 22-30. 
 
 Sing: "Rock of Ages," from Uncle Sam's School Songs. 
 
MARCH 159 
 
 Special Day: Arbor Day in Oklahoma (second Monday 
 in March). (See Arbor Day, April 19 and 20, this book.) 
 
 12 ACHIEVEMENT 
 
 Though the world smile on you blandly, 
 Let your friends be choice and few; 
 
 Choose your course, pursue it grandly, 
 And achieve what you pursue. 
 
 — Read 
 
 SALT IN YOUR CHARACTER 
 
 There is a loftier ambition than merely to stand high in 
 the world. It is to stoop down and lift mankind a little 
 higher. There is a nobler character than that which is 
 merely incorruptible. It is the character which acts as an 
 antidote and preventive of corruption. Fearlessly to speak 
 the words which bear witness to righteousness and truth 
 and purity; patiently to do the deeds which strengthen 
 virtue and kindle hope in your fellow-men; generously to 
 lend a hand to those who are trying to climb upward ; faith- 
 fully to give your support and your personal help to the 
 efforts which are making to elevate and purify the social 
 life of the world, — that is what it means to have salt in 
 your character. The men that have been happiest, and 
 the men that are the best remembered, are the men that 
 have done good. — Henry van Dyke 
 
 Birthday: Thomas Buchanan Read, an American poet 
 and artist, born in Chester County, Pa., March 12, 1822; 
 died in New York City, May 11, 1872. Author of "Sheri- 
 dan's Ride." 
 
 13 PATIENCE 
 
 Heaven is not gained by a single bound, 
 But we build the ladder by which we rise 
 From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, 
 And we mount to its summit round by round. 
 
 — J. G. Holland 
 
160 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Read: "Diff'ent Kind o' Bundles," from Slosson's 
 Story -tell Lib. 
 
 Birthday: Benjamin Harrison, twenty-third president 
 of the United States, born at North Bend, Ohio, August 
 20, 1833; died March 13, 1901. 
 
 14 HONOR 
 
 Where honor ceaseth, there knowledge decreaseth. 
 
 — Shakespeare 
 
 TRUE MANHOOD 
 
 It is not always the coat that tells, 
 Nor the collar your friend may wear; 
 
 It is not always the shine of the shoe, 
 Nor the finished touch of his hair. 
 
 It is not all in a silken hat, 
 
 Nor the fitting neat of his gloves ; 
 It is not merely his cultured air, 
 
 Nor the circle in which he moves. 
 
 It is not his temper, his pride nor smile, 
 
 Nor yet his worshipful mien; 
 It is not even the name he bears 
 
 In a world that is shallow and mean. 
 
 Ah, no, after all, 'tis the man himself 
 
 As he stands with his God alone, 
 ,r Tis the heart that beats beneath the coat, 
 
 The life that points to the throne. 
 
 The eye that cheers with its kindly glance, 
 'Tis the arm 'round a brother cast ; 
 
 The hand that points to a hope beyond, 
 'Tis a love that endures to the last. 
 
MARCH 161 
 
 Sing: "Help to Set the World Ke joking," from Uncle 
 Sam's School Songs. 
 
 Special Day : Arbor Day in New Mexico (second Friday 
 in March). (See Arbor Day, April 19 and 20, this book.) 
 
 15 FAIR-MINDEDNESS 
 
 Do not look for wrong and evil; 
 
 You will find them if you do; 
 As you measure for your neighbor, 
 
 He will measure back to you. 
 
 — Alice Cary 
 
 Birthday: Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the 
 United States, born at Waxhaw Settlement, N. C, March 
 15, 1767 ; died at his farm called the Hermitage, near Nash- 
 ville, Tenn., June 8, 1845. 
 
 16 HEALTH 
 
 Better than grandeur, better than gold, 
 Than rank or title a hundred-fold, 
 Is a healthy body, and a mind at ease, 
 And simple pleasures that always please. 
 A heart that can feel for a neighbor's woe, 
 And share in his joy with a friendly glow, 
 With sympathies large enough to infold 
 All men as brothers, is better than gold. 
 
 — Alexander Smart 
 
 Read: "What Will You Choose, " from Brown's The 
 House I Live In. 
 
 Birthday: James Madison, fourth president of the 
 United States, born at King George, Va., March 16, 1761 ; 
 died at Montpelier, near Orange Court House, Va., June 
 28, 1836. 
 
 17 ST. PATEICK'S DAY 
 
 A very little seed of truth 
 
 May sink into the soul, 
 And by God's blessing, gather power 
 
 As ages onward roll. 
 
162 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 ST. PATRICK AND THE SNAKES 
 
 A great many stories are told of St. Patrick. In Ireland 
 there are no snakes or other poisonous reptiles, and the 
 people believe that the "Holy St. Patrick" charmed them 
 all away. St. Patrick had destroyed all snakes, so runs 
 the old legend, except one very large one who hid himself 
 in the thick woods on the shores of the beautiful lake of 
 Killarney. St. Patrick determined to catch him, so he pro- 
 cured a large chest with nine strong bolts, and taking it 
 on his shoulder he trudged over to Killarney, where he 
 found the snake basking in the sun. The snake was induced 
 to enter the chest, and it was thrown into the lake. There 
 to this day, it is said by the people about the lake, they 
 can hear the voice of the snake crying: "Let me out; 
 hasn't to-morrow come yet?" — Selected 
 
 18 DESTINY 
 
 The tissues of the life to be 
 
 We weave with colors all our own, 
 
 And in the field of destiny 
 We reap as we have sown. 
 
 — Whittier 
 
 Birthdays: Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian navigator, 
 after whom America was named, born in Florence, Italy, 
 March 18, 1452 ; died in Seville, Spain, February 22, 1512. 
 
 John C. Calhoun, an American statesman, born in the 
 district of Abbeville, S. C, March 18, 1782; died at Wash- 
 ington, D. C., March 31, 1850. 
 
 Grover Cleveland, twenty-second and twenty-fourth 
 president of the United States, born in Caldwell, N. J., 
 March 18, 1837; died in Princeton, N. J., June 24, 1908. 
 
 19 CHARACTER 
 
 To form character is to form grooves in which are 
 to flow the purposes of our lives. — William J. Bryan 
 
MARCH 163 
 
 THE TWO ROSES 
 
 I hold in my hand a rose. Its texture is delicate; its 
 color, beautiful. Every petal is complete and nearly per- 
 fect. Everybody loves the beauty and fragrance of the 
 perfect rose. I hold here another. Some of its petals are 
 well developed; others, withered and shriveled. These 
 strikingly resemble two types of people. The rose that 
 has all of its petals well developed is like those people who 
 are honest, truthful, faithful, kind, loving. Everybody 
 loves those of that type of character. This rose with the 
 withered and shriveled petals is like the person whose 
 character is made defective by occasional falsehoods, cheat- 
 ing, unkindness to parents or others. Such characters can 
 never win admiration and love. — Popular Educator 
 
 Sing: " Smile Whenever You Can," from Merry 
 Melodies. 
 
 Birthdays: James Otis, the pen-name of James Otis 
 Kaler, an American writer for young folks, born at 
 Winterport, Me., March 19, 1848 ; lives in Portland, Me. 
 
 William Jennings Bryan, an American statesman and 
 politician, born at Salem, 111., March 19, 1860; at present 
 (1914) Secretary of State, Washington, D. C. 
 
 20 SPEING 
 
 Everywhere about us they are glowing, 
 Some like stars, to tell us Spring is born. 
 — From "Flowers," by Henry W. Longfellow 
 
 Read: "A Laughing Chorus 5 ' and "Wild Geese," from 
 Language Through Nature, Literature and Art. 
 
 Sing: "Spring is Coming," from Uncle Sam's School 
 Songs. 
 
 Birthdays : Henrik Ibsen, a noted Norwegian poet and 
 writer of plays, born at Skien, Norway, March 20, 1828 ; 
 died in Christiana, Norway, May 22, 1906. 
 
 Charles W. Eliot, an American educator, ex-president of 
 
164 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Harvard University, born in Boston, Mass., March 20, 1834 ; 
 lives in Cambridge, Mass. 
 
 Enrico Caruso, an Italian tenor singer, born in Naples, 
 Italy, March 20, 1874. He sings in more than forty operas. 
 
 21 ORANGE DAY 
 
 March is merry, March is mad, 
 March is gay, March is sad; 
 Every humor we may know 
 If we list the winds that blow. 
 • — Frank Dempster Sherman 
 
 CALIFORNIA'S ORANGE DAY 
 
 The great State of California — the Golden State — has 
 set aside one day which is called " Orange Day" (the first 
 day of spring), and to-day is that day. 
 
 We ought all to celebrate this day, for the orange, the 
 plum (prune when it is dried), the apple, the peach, the 
 grape — those are nature 's most beautiful and precious gifts 
 to man. The orange, provided in the winter months, when 
 peaches, apples and other fruits are hard to get, or entirely 
 lacking, has a value that is not generally understood. It 
 is not only a fruit beautiful and delicious, but one most 
 important to the human race. 
 
 Those who admire the apple say, "An apple a day will 
 keep the doctor away." And there is much truth in the 
 statement. It is equally true, in the winter months and 
 all through the hot weather as well, of the orange, a friend 
 of children, a blessing to the human race. 
 
 Special Day : First day of spring. California 's ' ' Orange 
 Day." 
 
 22 SPEING 
 
 Would you think it? Spring has come, 
 Winter's paid his passage home; 
 Packed his ice-box — gone — half way 
 To the arctic pole, they say. 
 
 — Christopher Cranch 
 
MARCH 165 
 
 Read : ' ' Spring, ' ' from Boston Collection of Kindergar- 
 ten Stories; " Spring and Her Helpers," from Poulsson's 
 In the Child's World. 
 
 Sing: "Wake Up" and "In the Springtime," from 
 Songs in Season. 
 
 Birthdays: Sir Anthony Van Dyke or Van Dyck, a 
 famous Flemish painter, born in Antwerp, Belgium, March 
 22, 1599; died in London, England, December 9, 1641. 
 
 Johann W. von Goethe, a famous German novel-writer 
 and poet, born in Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany, August 
 28, 1749 ; died in Weimar, Germany, March 22, 1832. 
 
 Rosa Bonheur, a famous French painter of animals, born 
 at Bordeaux, France, March 22, 1822; died in Paris, 
 France, May 26, 1899. 
 
 23 ANGEK 
 
 A cheerful temper, joined with innocence, will make 
 beauty attractive, knowledge delightful, and wit good- 
 natured. — A ddison 
 
 THE TWO GARDENERS 
 
 Two gardeners had their crops of peas killed by the frost. 
 One of them was very impatient under the loss, and fretted 
 about it. The other patiently went to work to plant a new 
 crop. After awhile the impatient man came to visit his 
 neighbor. To his surprise he found another crop of peas 
 growing finely. He asked how this could be. 
 
 "This crop I sowed while you were fretting," said his 
 neighbor. 
 
 "But don't you ever fret?" he asked. 
 
 "Yes, I do; but I put it off till I have repaired the mis- 
 chief that has been done." 
 
 "Why, then, you have no need to fret at all." 
 
 "True," said his friend; "and that's the reason why I 
 put it off." 
 
166 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Read: " Fairy in the Mirror," from Boston Collection 
 of Kindergarten Stories. 
 
 Birthday: Pierre G. T. Beauregard, an American gen- 
 eral, born near New Orleans, La., May 23, 1818; died in 
 New Orleans, February 20, 1893. 
 
 24 AIM 
 
 Aim well! 
 No time is lost by care, 
 Haste fails. Beware! Beware! 
 A true aim wins, then dare 
 
 Make each aim tell. 
 
 — Ella Wheeler Wilcox 
 
 Birthday : William Morris, an English poet and artist, 
 born near London, England, March 24, 1834 ; died October 
 3, 1896. 
 
 25 EASTER 
 
 Sing, children, sing! 
 And the lily censers swing; 
 Sing that life and joy are waking and that Death 
 
 no more is king. 
 Sing the happy, happy tumult of the slowly 
 brightening Spring; 
 Sing, little children, sing! 
 
 — Gelia Thaccter 
 
 EASTER SUNDAY 
 
 This Sunday is the festival of our Lord's resurrection, 
 and is one of the most joyous days observed by the Christian 
 church. Coming after the self-denials of Lent and at the 
 beginning of spring, it seems naturally a time of hope and 
 new life. It is the feast of flowers, particularly of lilies, 
 and the name had its origin in a festival in honor of Eostre, 
 a Saxon goddess, whose festival was celebrated annually in 
 the spring. 
 
 Read: "A Song of Easter,' ' by Celia Thaxter; "The 
 
MARCH 167 
 
 General's Easter Box," from Our Holidays: Retold from 
 St. Nicholas; "First-day Thoughts," by Whittier. 
 
 Sing: "Easter," from Songs in Season. 
 
 Special Day: Easter Day. Easter is the Sunday that 
 follows the 14th day of the calendar moon, which falls upon 
 or next after the 21st of March. 
 
 26 NEATNESS 
 
 Neatness and its reverse are almost a certain test of 
 moral character. — Dr. Whitaker 
 
 A NEAT FAMILY 
 
 BY LIZZIE DE ARMOND 
 
 Tap, tap, young Mr. Woodpecker 
 
 Was busy as a bee, 
 For he had started out to build 
 
 Up in the cherry tree. 
 
 He cut a dainty little hole, 
 
 The chips flew thick and fast, 
 The entry and the living room 
 
 Were finished up at last. 
 
 Upon the polished floor was laid 
 
 Some shaving mats quite fine, 
 Where Mrs. Downy Woodpecker 
 
 Might ask her guests to dine. 
 
 No litter lay around the door 
 
 For neighbor folks to see, 
 Woodpecker said that tidy ways 
 
 Ran in his family. 
 
 Birthday: Cecil John Rhodes, a South African states- 
 man, born at Bishop Strotford, Hertfordshire, England, 
 
 
16$ MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 July 5, 1853 ; died in Cape Town, Africa, March 26, 1902. 
 (Mr. Bhodes made a large fortune in the diamond mine at 
 Kimberley, and left a large part of his money to estab- 
 lish the Rhodes Scholarship.) 
 
 27 EXPERIENCE 
 
 O, it's I that am the captain of a tidy little ship, 
 
 Of a ship that goes a-sailing on the pond; 
 And my ship it keeps a-turning all around and all about, 
 But when I'm a little older, I shall find the secret out, 
 
 How to send my vessel sailing on beyond. 
 
 — Robert Louis Stevenson 
 
 Sing: "What Does Little Birdie Say," from Merry 
 Melodies. 
 
 Birthday: Oliver Optic, the pen-name of William Tay- 
 lor Adams, an American writer of books for young folks, 
 born in Medway, Mass., July 30, 1822; died in Boston, 
 Mass., March 27, 1897. 
 
 28 ECONOMY 
 
 "Waste not, want not," be your motto, 
 Little things bring weal or woe; 
 Save the odds and ends, my children, 
 Some one wants them, if not you. 
 
 — Mrs. E. R. Miller 
 
 WASTE NOT, WANT NOT 
 
 A clergyman called on a wealthy merchant of his con- 
 gregation, to request a contribution for the church. The 
 merchant made out a check for a large amount. 
 
 While sitting at his desk the merchant reproved one of 
 his clerks for throwing away a blank sheet of paper. The 
 clergyman was greatly surprised, for the man had cer- 
 tainly been very generous to the church. Seeing the 
 wondering look, the merchant said: 
 
 "If I had not been careful of the little savings I could 
 not now have given you that check.' ' 
 
MARCH 169 
 
 Sing: "You Never Miss the Water," from Uncle Sam's 
 School Songs. 
 
 29 INDUSTRY 
 
 If little labor, little are our gains; 
 Man's fortunes are according to his pains. 
 
 — Herridk 
 
 AMY STEWART 
 
 There was once a little girl named Amy Stewart, who 
 liked to play all day among the flowers and birds. She 
 said they talked to her. 
 
 One day her mother said, "You are old enough now, 
 Amy, to do a little work, and you must begin early to be 
 industrious." 
 
 "Oh mamma! I do not like to work," said Amy; may I 
 not go in the woods and play before I begin work?" 
 
 "As I have nothing ready for you to do just now, you 
 may go for a little while, ' ' said her mother. 
 
 So Amy ran out of doors. A pretty gray squirrel ran 
 across her path, and she called to him, saying: "Dear 
 squirrel, have you nothing to do but play and eat nuts, 
 have you?" 
 
 "Yes," said Mr. Squirrel, "I have a large family to 
 support, and I am busy laying up nuts for the winter, so 
 I cannot stop to play with you." 
 
 Just then a bee came buzzing by. Amy said : ' ' Little bee, 
 do you have any work to do?" 
 
 "It seems to me I have no time for anything but work, 
 getting honey and making the honeycomb." 
 
 Amy now saw an ant carrying off a crumb of bread. 
 "Is not that crumb too heavy for you?" she said. "I 
 wish you would drop it and play with me." 
 
 "It is heavy, but I am too glad to get it not to be will- 
 ing to carry it; but I will stop long enough to tell you 
 
170 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 of a lazy day we once had. Our home was destroyed, and 
 I was too lazy to help rebuild it ; and I said to my brother, 
 1 Let us go and travel ; perhaps we will find a house ready- 
 made; perhaps the butterflies will play with us.' We 
 traveled a long way, but we found no ready-made house, 
 and at last were obliged to build one for ourselves. Since 
 then we have been contented to do all the work that we 
 find necessary. " 
 
 The ant then picked up the crumb of bread and hurried 
 away. 
 
 Amy sat down on a stone and thought: "It seems to 
 me all creatures have some work to do, and they seem to 
 like it; but I do not believe flowers have anything to do. 
 So she walked up to a red poppy and said: "Beautiful 
 red poppy, do flowers work?" 
 
 "Of course we do," said the poppy. "I have to take 
 great care to gather all the red rays the good sun sends 
 down to me, and I must keep them in my silken petals 
 for you to use, and the green rays must be untangled and 
 held by my glossy leaves, and my roots must drink water, 
 my flowers must watch the days not to let the seed-time 
 pass by — ah, my child, I assure you we are a busy family 
 and that is why we are so happy." 
 
 Amy walked slowly homeward and said to her mother: 
 "The squirrels, the bees, the ants, and even the flowers 
 have something to do. I am the only idle one. Please give 
 me some work to do." 
 
 Then her mother brought her a towel to hem, which 
 she had begun so long before that she had quite forgotten 
 it. She worked very faithfully and in time grew to be 
 an industrious woman, and always said that work made 
 her happier than idleness. 
 
 Birthday: John Tyler, tenth president of the United 
 States, born in Greenway, Va., March 29, 1790; died at 
 Richmond, Va., January 17, 1862. 
 
MARCH 171 
 
 30 KINDNESS 
 
 Little acts of kindness, 
 
 Little deeds of love, 
 Make this earth an Eden, 
 
 Like the Heaven above. 
 
 THE HAPPY-FACED BOY 
 
 This is what I saw, sitting behind a blackberry bush one 
 lovely spring day, quite out of sight, you understand : 
 
 Over the fence jumped a boy, a sweet, happy-faced boy 
 of ten. I knew that he had come from the schoolhouse 
 down the road and was going to the spring which bubbled 
 up under a rock in my meadow. He was eating his luncheon 
 as he walked, had just put the last bit of bread into his 
 mouth, and was looking rather eagerly, as though he enjoyed 
 the prospect very much, at a slice of delicious-looking cake 
 which he held in his hand. Just as he had opened his 
 mouth to take the first bite, his eye fell upon a little pail 
 under a tree not far from my blackberry bush. I had 
 been looking at the little pail, so I knew just what he 
 saw; two slices of bread, that is all, and judging from the 
 appearance of the owner of the pail — who had left it to 
 go to the schoolhouse — that is all there ever was in it. 
 Well, my boy looked at the bread and then at the cake in 
 his hand. 
 
 "He shall have half," I heard him say; and he took 
 hold of the cake as though to break it, then paused. 
 
 "Half is only a mouthful; he shall have it all;" then, 
 stooping he laid the delicious cake gently in the little pail, 
 and, whistling softly, went on his way to the bubbling 
 spring. 
 
 "Ah! no wonder that you are happy-faced, you noble, 
 generous boy ! " I said, as I wiped away the tears behind the 
 friendly shelter of the blackberry bush. — Little Pilgrim 
 
 Birthday: John Fiske, an American historical writer, 
 born in Hartford, Conn., March 30, 1842 ; died July 4, 1901. 
 
172 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 31 FAME 
 
 Fame is what you have taken, 
 
 Character's what you give; 
 When to this truth you awaken, 
 
 Then you begin to live. 
 
 — Bayard Taylor 
 
 Birthdays: Joseph Haydn, a famous German writer of 
 music, born at Rohran, Lower Austria, March 31, 1732; 
 died in Vienna, Austria, May 31, 1809. 
 
 Andrew Lang, a Scottish writer of poems, stories, novels, 
 etc., born at Selkirk, Scotland, March 31, 1844. 
 
APRIL 
 
 1 ALL FOOLS' DAY 
 
 Good-morning, sweet April, 
 
 So winsome and shy, 
 With a smile on your lip 
 
 And a tear in your eye; 
 There are pretty nepaticas 
 
 Hid in your hair, 
 And bonny blue violets 
 
 Clustering there. 
 
 ALL FOOLS' DAY 
 
 All Fools ' Day is so generally observed that a history 
 of its origin will appeal to the interest of pupils. 
 
 The day was first celebrated in 1466 at the Court of 
 Burgundy, a province of France. Duke Philip of Bur- 
 gundy and his court jester, or fool, agreed that on the first 
 day of April each should try his wits to see if he could 
 get the better jest on the other. The terms were that if 
 the jester succeeded in hoaxing the Duke he was to be 
 rewarded with his cap full of gold ducats. If the Duke 
 hoaxed the jester the latter was to forfeit his life. Early 
 in the morning the Duke gave his jester strong drink and 
 the latter partook freely until he became drunk. While 
 he was in this condition the Duke summoned some of the 
 members of the court, tried the drunken jester, and sen- 
 tenced him to death. The executioner was called, the jester 
 was blindfolded and was struck a mild blow on the neck 
 with a stick under the pretense that it was a sword. Warm 
 blood was then poured on his neck to make him think 
 he was bleeding. The Duke and others standing by laughed 
 
174 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 heartily at the deception. But the jester lay seemingly 
 lifeless. After a little time some one cried out, " Terror 
 has killed him." 
 
 The Duke becoming alarmed sent quickly for the court 
 doctors, who came and tried their skill on the supposed 
 dead man. Soon thereafter the jester opened his eyes, 
 laughed aloud, and said: "April fools, all of you. Now, 
 Duke, pay me my gold." From this incident of four and 
 a half centuries ago has come the universal custom of jesting 
 on April the first. — Popular Educator 
 
 Sing: "April! April! Are You Here," from Songs in 
 Season. 
 
 Birthdays: Prince Otto E. L. Bismarck-Schonhausen, a 
 famous German statesman and one of the greatest men of 
 the nineteenth century, born at Schonhausen, near Magde- 
 burg, Germany, April 1, 1815; died on his estate at 
 Friedrichsruhe, Germany, July 30, 1898. 
 
 Edwin Austin Abbey, an American painter, born in 
 Philadelphia, Pa., April 1, 1852 ; died in London, England, 
 Aug. 1, 1911. Most important work: A series of panels 
 in the Boston Public Library, "The Quest of the Holy 
 Grail." 
 
 Special Day: All Fools' Day. 
 
 2 FREEDOM 
 
 We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all 
 men are created equal; that they are endowed by their 
 Creator with certain inalienable rights ; and that among 
 these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 
 
 — Jefferson 
 
 HANS CHRISTIAN ANDEESEN 
 
 There are few children who have not heard of Hans 
 Christian Andersen or who have not read some of his 
 stories. Hans' father, a poor shoemaker, died when Hans 
 
APRIL 175 
 
 was nine years old, and his mother wanted Hans to be a 
 tailor, but he had higher notions. He was first put to work 
 in a factory and then sent to school, but he ran away from 
 both because the boys laughed at his ugliness and awk- 
 wardness, and thinking it best to let him do as he pleased, 
 his mother gave him some money to go to Copenhagen. 
 There he was for some time employed in the theater, and 
 for a while lived on charity, but at last became acquainted 
 with the Councillor Collin, who noticing his brightness, 
 got the King to have him educated at the expense of the 
 state. At this time he had written a few poems, and when 
 about finishing his studies he published a book called A 
 Journey on Foot to Amak, in which he made fun of every- 
 thing, and which had a large sale and brought him consid- 
 erable money. Later he wrote his Fairy Tales and Wonder 
 Stories. He never walked the streets of Copenhagen with- 
 out attracting crowds of children. The boys took off their 
 hats to him and the girls courtesied as he passed, and he 
 had a kind word for all. Everybody mourned when he 
 died ; and when subscriptions were being taken up to erect 
 a monument to him, all the people were anxious to give 
 something to help honor the poor shoemaker's son who had 
 done so much for the children of all the world. 
 
 Read : Andersen 's ' ' Five Peas in a Pod ' ' and ' ' The Ugly 
 Duckling. ' ' 
 
 Birthdays: Thomas Jefferson, third president of the 
 United States, born at Shadwell, Albemarle County, Va., 
 April 2, 1743 ; died at his estate of Monticello, near Char- 
 lottesville, Va., July 4, 1826. 
 
 Hans Christian Andersen, a famous Danish writer for 
 young folks, born at Odense, in the island of Flinen, April 
 2, 1805 ; died in Copenhagen, Denmark, August 4, 1875. 
 
 Frederic A. Bartholdi, a noted French sculptor, born at 
 Colmar, Alsace, France, April 2, 1834; died in Paris, 
 France, October 4, 1904. Among his works are the statues 
 
176 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 of Lafayette in Union Square, New York City, and Liberty 
 Enlightening the World, New York Harbor. 
 
 Special Day: Arbor Day in Kentucky and Maryland 
 (usually early in April). (See Arbor Day, April 19 and 
 20, this book.) 
 
 3 GREATNESS 
 
 Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune, 
 but great minds rise above it. — Washington Irving 
 
 Read: Hale's The Man Without a Country; Selections 
 from Irving 's The Sketch Book. 
 
 Sing: "Do Your Best," and "My Country," from 
 Hanson 's Gems of Song. 
 
 Birthdays : Bartolme Esteban Murillo, a famous Spanish 
 painter, born in Seville, Spain, in 1617; died in Seville, 
 April 3, 1682. 
 
 Washington Irving, a famous American author, born in 
 New York City, April 3, 1783; died at Sunnyside, his 
 beautiful home at Tarry town, N. Y., November 28, 1859. 
 
 Edward Everett Hale, an American author and clergy- 
 man, born in Boston, Mass., April 3, 1822 ; died in Roxbury, 
 Mass., June 10, 1909. 
 
 John Burroughs, an American writer of essays, born at 
 Roxbury, N. Y., April 3, 1837. 
 
 4 HELPFULNESS 
 
 Look up and not down; look forward and not back; 
 look out and not in; lend a hand. — E. E. Hale 
 
 Special Day: Arbor Day in Missouri (Friday after first 
 Tuesday in April). (See Arbor Day, April 19 and 20, this 
 book.) 
 
 5 KIND WOEDS 
 
 A soft answer turneth away wrath; but grievous 
 words stir up anger. — Solomon 
 
APRIL 177 
 
 MORE PRECIOUS THAN RUBIES 
 
 Would it not please you to pick up strings of pearls, 
 drops of gold, diamonds, and precious stones, as you pass 
 along the street? It would make you feel happy for a 
 month to come. Such a happiness you can give to others. 
 Do you ask how ? By dropping sweet words, kind remarks, 
 and pleasant smiles, as you pass along. These are true 
 pearls and precious stones, which can never be lost; of 
 which none can deprive you. Speak to that orphan child; 
 see the diamonds drop from her cheeks. Take the hand of 
 the friendless boy; bright pearls flash in his eyes. Smile 
 on the sad and dejected ; a joy suffuses his cheek more bril- 
 liant than the most precious stones. By the wayside, amid 
 the city's din, and at the fireside of the poor, drop words 
 and smiles to cheer and bless. You will feel happier when 
 resting upon your pillow at the close of the day, than if you 
 had picked up a score of perishing jewels. The latter fade 
 and crumble in time; the former grow brighter with age, 
 and produce happy reflections forever. — Selected 
 
 Sing: "Kind Words,' ' from Uncle Sam's School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: Jules Dupre, a noted French landscape 
 painter, born at Nantes, France, April 5, 1811; died at 
 L'Isle Adam, France, October 6, 1889. 
 
 Algernon Charles Swinburne, an English poet, born in 
 London, England, April 5, 1837 ; died at Putney, England, 
 April 10, 1909. 
 
 6 THE VOICE OF APRIL 
 
 April calling, April calling, April calling me! 
 I hear the voice of April there in each old apple-tree; 
 Bee-boom and wild perfume, and wood-brook melody, 
 O hark, my heart, and hear, my heart, the April ecstasy. 
 
 — Madison Cawein 
 
 Read : ' * The Story of a Seed, ' ' from Language Through 
 Nature, Literature and Art, 
 
178 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Sing: " Growing,' ' from Songs in Season. 
 
 Birthday: Raphael (or Raffaelle Sanzio) the greatest of 
 Italian painters, born at Urbino, Italy, April 6, 1483 ; died 
 April 6, 1520. 
 
 7 KNOWLEDGE 
 
 Books are yours, 
 Within whose silent chambers treasure lies 
 Preserved from age to age; more precious far 
 Than that accumulated store of gold 
 And orient gems which, for a day of need, 
 The sultan hides deep in ancestral tombs. 
 These hoards of truth you can unlock at will. 
 
 — Wordsworth 
 
 SUCCESS IN LIFE 
 
 When Dr. Lyman Beecher was asked how long it took 
 him to prepare one of his masterly discourses that had just 
 electrified thousands, he promptly replied, " Forty years." 
 
 Birthday : William Wordsworth, a famous English poet, 
 born at Cockemouth, Cumberlandshire, England, April 7, 
 1770 ; died at Rydal Mount, England, April 23, 1850. 
 
 8 AMBITION 
 
 Better to strive and climb, 
 
 And never reach the goal, 
 Than to drift along with time, 
 
 An aimless, worthless soul. 
 Aye, better climb and fall, 
 
 Or sow, though the yield be small, 
 Than to throw away day after day, 
 
 And never strive at all. 
 
 — Margaret Sangster 
 
 Read : ' ' Gonard and the Pine Tree, ' ' from Bailey and 
 Lewis' For the Children's Hour. 
 
 Sing: " Let's Higher Climb," from Uncle Sam's School 
 Songs. 
 
APRIL 179 
 
 9 FLATTEEY 
 
 No flattery, boy! an honest man can't live by it. 
 
 It is a little sneaking art, which knaves 
 
 Use to cajole and soften fools withal. 
 
 If thou hast flattery in thy nature, out with it, 
 
 Or send it to a court where it will thrive. 
 
 — Otway 
 
 AX GRINDING 
 
 BY BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 
 
 When I was a little boy, I remember, one cold winter's 
 morning, I was accosted by a smiling man with an ax on 
 his shoulder. ''My pretty boy," said he, "has your father 
 a grindstone ? ' ' 
 
 "Yes, sir," said I. 
 
 "You are a fine little fellow!" said he. "Will you let 
 me grind my ax on it ? " 
 
 Pleased with the compliment of "fine little fellow," "Oh, 
 yes, sir," I answered. "It is down in the shop." 
 
 "And will you, my man," said he, patting me on the 
 head, "get me a little hot water?" 
 
 How could I refuse ? I ran, and soon brought a kettleful. 
 
 1 ' How old are you ? — and what 's your name ? ' ' continued 
 he, without waiting for a reply. "I'm sure you are one of 
 the finest lads that I have ever seen. Will you just turn a 
 few minutes for me?" 
 
 Tickled with the flattery, like a little fool, I went to work, 
 and bitterly did I rue the day. It was a new ax, and I 
 toiled and tugged till I was almost tired to death. The 
 school bell rang, and I could not get away. My hands were 
 blistered, and the ax was not half ground. 
 
 At length, however, it was sharpened, and the man 
 turned to me with, "Now, you little rascal, you've played 
 truant! Scud to the school, or you'll rue it!" 
 
 "Alas!" thought I, "it was hard enough to turn a grind- 
 
180 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 stone this cold day, but now to be called a little rascal is 
 too much." 
 
 It sank deep into my mind, and often have I thought of 
 it since. When I see a merchant over-polite to his cus- 
 tomers, begging them to take a little brandy, and throwing 
 his goods on the counter, thinks I, "That man has an ax 
 to grind." 
 
 When I see a man flattering the people, making great 
 professions of attachment to liberty, who is in private life 
 a tyrant, methinks, "Look out, good people! That fellow 
 would set you turning grindstones ! ' ' 
 
 When I see a man hoisted into office by party spirit, 
 without a single qualification to render him either respect- 
 able or useful, ' ' Alas ! ' ' methinks, ' ' deluded people, you are 
 doomed for a season to turn the grindstone for a booby. ' ' 
 
 Birthday : Maria Susanna Cummins, an American nov- 
 elist, born at Salem, Mass., April 9, 1827; died at Dor- 
 chester, Mass., October 1, 1866. Author of The Lamp- 
 lighter. 
 
 10 AN APRIL MORNING 
 
 A gush of bird song, a patter of dew, 
 A cloud and a rainbow's warning; 
 
 Sudden sunshine and perfect blue — 
 An April day in the morning. 
 
 — Harriet Spofford 
 
 Birthday: Lewis Wallace, an American soldier and 
 writer, born at Brookville, Ind., April 10, 1827 ; died Feb- 
 ruary 15, 1905. Best known for his story called Ben-Hur: 
 A Tale of the Christ. 
 
 11 PERSEVERANCE 
 
 Not enjoyment and not sorrow 
 
 la our destined end or way; 
 But to act that each to-morrow 
 
 Find us farther than to-day. 
 — From "The Psalm of Life," by Longfellow 
 
APRIL 181 
 
 KEEPING AT IT 
 
 There had been a heavy fall of snow, and a little boy 
 was shoveling a path in front of his mother's door. "How 
 do you expect to get through that deep snow with so small 
 a shovel ? ' ' asked a man, who saw that the child was using 
 a coal-shovel. 
 
 There was a determined look on the boy's face. "By 
 keeping at it, sir," said the little fellow; "that's how." 
 
 "I believe you are right," said the man ; "that's the way 
 to do almost anything." 
 
 Eead: "A Cow His Capital," from Marden's Stories 
 from Life; Bible, Prov. 30 : 24-28. 
 
 Sing: "Time is Short," from Silvery Notes. 
 
 Birthday: William Ordway Partridge, an American 
 sculptor, born in Paris, France, April 11, 1861; his studio 
 is in New York City. 
 
 12 SUCCESS 
 
 I would rather be right than president. 
 
 — Henry Clay 
 
 "PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT" 
 
 Henry Clay, when giving advice to young men, said, "I 
 owe my success in life to one circumstance, that at the age 
 of twenty-seven I began and continued for years, the process 
 of daily reading and speaking upon the contents of some 
 historical or scientific book. These off-hand efforts were 
 made, sometimes in a cornfield, at others in the forest, and 
 not unfrequently in some distant barn, with the horse and 
 the ox for my auditors. It is to this early practice of the 
 art of all arts that I am indebted for the primary and 
 leading impulses that stimulated me onward and have 
 shaped and moulded my whole subsequent destiny. ' ' 
 
 Birthday: Henry Clay, an American statesman, born 
 near Richmond, Va., April 12, 1777 ; died June 29, 1852. 
 
182 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 13 FAITH 
 
 Shall we grow weary in our watch, 
 
 And murmur at the long delay? 
 Impatient of our Father's time 
 
 And his appointed way? 
 
 — Whittier 
 
 UNDER THE LEAVES 
 
 BY ALBERT LAIGHTON 
 
 Opt have I walked these woodland paths, 
 Without the blessed foreknowing 
 
 That underneath the withered leaves 
 The fairest buds were growing. 
 
 To-day the south wind sweeps away 
 The types of autumn's splendor, 
 
 And shows the sweet arbutus flowers, — 
 Spring's children, pure and tender. 
 
 O prophet-flowers! — with lips of bloom, 
 
 Outvying in your beauty, 
 The pearly tints of ocean shells, — 
 
 Ye teach me faith and duty ! 
 
 Walk life's dark ways, ye seem to say, 
 
 With love 's divine foreknowing, 
 That where man sees but withered leaves, 
 
 God sees sweet flowers growing. 
 
 Read: "The King's Birthday," from Lindsay's Mother 
 Stories. 
 Sing: "God's Care," from Silvery Notes. 
 
 14 TIME 
 
 There are no fragments so precious as those of time, 
 and none so heedlessly lost by people who cannot make 
 a moment, and yet can waste years. — Montgomery 
 
APRIL 183 
 
 Eead: "The Discontented Pendulum" and "What the 
 Clock Told Polly," from Poulsson's In the Child's World. 
 
 Birthdays: Christian Huygens, a famous Dutch astron- 
 omer, born at The Hague, Netherlands, April 14, 1629 ; died 
 at The Hague, July 8, 1695. Known chiefly for his dis- 
 coveries in astronomy ; is also the inventor of the pendulum 
 clock; and the first watch with a hair-spring was made 
 under his direction and sent to England. 
 
 Elbridge S. Brooks, an American writer for young folks, 
 born in Lowell, Mass., April 14, 1846 ; died January 7, 1902. 
 
 15 KINDNESS 
 
 How many deeds of kindness 
 
 A little child may do, 
 Although it has so little strength, 
 
 And little wisdom too! 
 It wants a loving spirit, 
 
 Much more than strength, to prove 
 How many things a child may do 
 
 For others, by its love. 
 
 — Lucy Larcom 
 
 QUESTIONS 
 
 Can you put the spider's web back in its place, that once 
 
 has been swept away? 
 Can you put the apple again on the bough, which fell at our 
 
 feet to-day? 
 Can you put the lily-cup back on the stem, and cause it to 
 
 live and grow? 
 Can you mend the butterfly's broken wing, that you crushed 
 
 with a hasty blow ? 
 Can you put the bloom again on the grape, or the grape 
 
 again on the vine? 
 Can you put the dewdrop back on the flower, and make 
 
 them sparkle and shine? 
 Can you put the petals back on the rose? If you could, 
 
 would it smell as sweet? 
 
184 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Can you put the flower again in the husk, and show me the 
 
 ripened wheat? 
 Can you put the kernel back in the nut, or the broken egg 
 
 in its shell ? 
 Can you put the honey back in the comb, and cover with 
 
 wax each cell ? 
 Can you put the perfume back in the vase, when once it 
 
 has sped away ? 
 Can you put the corn-silk back on the corn, or the down 
 
 on the catkins — say ? 
 You think my questions are trifling, dear ? Let me ask you 
 
 another one : 
 Can a hasty word ever be unsaid, or a deed unkind, undone ? 
 
 — Selected 
 
 Birthday: Lucy Larcom, an American writer, born in 
 Beverly, Mass., 1826 ; died in Beverly, Mass., April 15, 1893. 
 
 Special Days : Arbor Day in Utah. Arbor Day in Ohio 
 (second or third Friday in April). (See Arbor Dwy, April 
 19 and 20.) 
 
 16 COURTESY 
 
 In all the affairs of human life, social as well as 
 political, I have remarked that courtesies of a small 
 and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest 
 to the grateful and appreciating heart. — Henry Clay 
 
 LINCOLN'S SENTIMENT AND AUTOGRAPH 
 
 Abraham Lincoln once received a letter asking for a 
 "sentiment" and his autograph. He replied: "Dear 
 Madam: When you ask from a stranger that which is of 
 interest only to yourself, always inclose a stamp; there's 
 your sentiment, and here's your autograph. A. Lincoln." 
 
 Tell about the Wright brothers and their invention of the 
 aeroplane (machine heavier than air, driven by an engine). 
 
APRIL 185 
 
 Read: "Darius Green and His Flying Machine/ ' 
 Birthday: Wilbur Wright, an American aeronaut, born 
 near Millville, Ind., April 16, 1867. His brother, also an 
 aeronaut, was born at Dayton, Ohio, Aug. 19, 1871. 
 
 17 DAY AND NIGHT 
 
 This is the east, where the sun gets up, 
 
 And now we call it day. 
 He doesn't stop to yawn or fret; 
 
 He has no time to play. 
 
 This is the west, where the sun goes to bed; 
 
 Slowly he sinks out of sight, 
 Then one by one the pretty stars come, 
 
 And now we call it night. 
 
 — Miss 8. C. Peabody 
 
 Sing : ' ' Evening Prayer, ' ' from Kellogg 's Best Primary 
 Songs. 
 
 18 WORK 
 
 Never you mind the crowd, lad, 
 
 Nor fancy your life won't tell; 
 The work is done for all that, 
 
 To him who doeth it well. 
 
 Fancy the world a hill, lad, 
 
 Look where the millions stop, 
 You'll find the crowd at the base, lad, 
 
 But there's always room at the top. 
 
 Read : ' * The Boy Who Wanted to Learn, ' ' from Cabot 's 
 Ethics for Children (adapted from Chapter II of Up from 
 Slavery, by Booker T. Washington). 
 
 Birthdays : Booker Taliaferro Washington, an American 
 writer and educator, born a slave at Hale's Ford, Va., April 
 18, 1858 ; lives at Tuskegee, Ala. 
 
 Richard Harding Davis, an American author, born in 
 Philadelphia, Pa., April 18, 1864; lives at Mt. Kisco, N. Y. 
 
186 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 19 ARBOR DAY 
 
 [The Festival of the Trees] 
 Showers and sunshine bring, 
 Slowly, the deepening verdure o'er the earth; 
 To put their foliage out, the woods are slack, 
 And one by one the singing birds come back. 
 
 — Bryant 
 
 ARBOR DAY 
 
 Arbor Day is a designated day upon which the people 
 and especially the school children plant trees and shrubs 
 along the highways and other suitable places. It was first 
 observed in Nebraska. The state board of agriculture 
 offered prizes for the counties and persons planting the 
 largest number of trees, and it is said that more than a 
 million trees were planted the first year, while within six- 
 teen years over 350,000,000 trees and vines were planted 
 in the state. 
 
 This custom, so beautiful and useful, spread rapidly, and 
 now is recognized by the statutes of many of the states. 
 
 The exact date naturally varies with the climate. 
 
 — Our Holidays 
 
 Read : Bryant 's ' ' The Planting of the Apple-Tree ' ' and 
 "A Forest Hymn; ,, Lucy Larcom's " Plant a Tree." See 
 also Kellogg 's How to Celebrate Arbor Day for additional 
 material and suggestions. 
 
 Sing: " Arbor Day/' from Songs in Season; "Happy 
 Arbor Day" and "The Day of Planting," from Uncle 
 Sam's School Songs. 
 
 Special Day : Arbor and Bird Days in Illinois (usually 
 the third Friday in April and the third Friday in October). 
 
 20 ARBOR DAY 
 
 [Continued] 
 
 When we plant a tree we are doing what we can to 
 make our planet a more wholesome and happier dwell- 
 ing place for those who come after us, if not for our- 
 selves. — Oliver Wendell Holmes 
 
APRIL 187 
 
 PLANTING TREES FOR OTHERS 
 
 A very poor and aged man, busied in planting and graft- 
 ing an apple tree, was rudely interrupted by this interro- 
 gation : ' ' Why do you plant trees, who cannot hope to eat 
 the fruit of them?" He raised himself up, and leaning 
 upon his spade, replied: "Some one planted trees for me 
 before I was born, and I have eaten the fruit ; I now plant 
 for others, that the memorial of my gratitude may exist 
 when I am dead and gone. ' ' 
 
 Birthday : Daniel C. French, an American sculptor, born 
 at Exeter, N. H., April 20, 1850; has his studio in New 
 York City. Among his works are the "Minute Man of 
 Concord," at Concord, Mass., the colossal statue of "The 
 Republic," Columbian Exposition, Chicago, and others. 
 
 21 HEROISM 
 
 Heroism is simple, and yet it is rare. Every one who 
 does the best he can is a hero. — Josh Billings. 
 
 Birthdays: Friedrich Froebel, a German teacher, 
 founder of the kindergarten system, born at Oberweissbach, 
 Germany, April 21, 1782; died at Marienthal, Germany, 
 June 21, 1852. 
 
 Henry Wheeler Shaw, an American humorist, best known 
 under his pen-name of "Josh Billings," born at Lanes- 
 borough, Mass., April 21, 1818; died in Monterey, Cal., 
 October 14, 1885. 
 
 John Charles Van Dyke, an American author, born in 
 New Brunswick, N. J., April 21, 1856; lives in New 
 Brunswick. 
 
 22 BIRD DAY 
 
 There is a bird I know so well, 
 It seems as if he must have sung 
 Beside my crib when I was young; 
 
 Before I knew the way to spell 
 
188 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 The name of even the smallest bird, 
 His gentle, joyful song I heard. 
 —From "The Song Sparrow" by Henry Van Dyke 
 
 Read: Miller's True. Bird Stories; Bible, Song of Solo- 
 mon 2 : 11-12. Have pupils collect and recite quotations 
 about birds from various authors. 
 
 Sing: "Bird Day," "The Bluebird," "Little Blue 
 Jay," "Bob White," "Crow Calculations," "Little Bird 
 with Eager Wing," "Robert of Lincoln," "The Sparrow," 
 ' ' The Clacker, ' ' all in Songs in Season. 
 
 Birthday: James Buchanan, fifteenth president of the 
 United States, born at Stony Batter, Franklin County, Pa., 
 April 22, 1791; died on his farm called Wheatlands, at 
 Lancaster, Pa., June 1, 1868. 
 
 23 TRUTH 
 
 This above all, to thine own self be true; 
 And it must follow as the night the day, 
 Thou canst not then be false to any man. 
 — Shakespeare 
 
 Read: Story of Shakespeare's life, from Baldwin's 
 Reader, Book 8; Jones' Reader, Book 4; or Cyr's Reader, 
 Book 5. 
 
 Birthdays: William Shakespeare, the greatest English 
 playwriter and poet, born in Stratford-upon-Avon, War- 
 wickshire, England, in April, 1564 ; died at Stratford-upon- 
 Avon, April 23, 1616. 
 
 Joseph M. W. Turner, a famous English painter, born in 
 London, England, April 23, 1775; died in Chelsea, Eng- 
 land, December 19, 1851. 
 
 Stephen A. Douglas, an American statesman, born in 
 Brandon, Vt., April 23, 1813; died in Chicago, 111., June 
 3, 1861. 
 
 Edwin Markham, an American poet, born in Oregon City, 
 Ore., April 23, 1852 ; lives at West New Brighton, N. Y. 
 
APRIL 189 
 
 Thomas Nelson Page, an American author, born in Han- 
 over County, Va., April 23, 1853. 
 
 24 HONOR 
 
 Handsome is as handsome does. — Goldsmith 
 
 Bead: Goldsmith's The Deserted Village and The Vicar 
 of Wakefield; biography of Goldsmith, from Baldwin's 
 Reader, Book ?, or Cyr's Reader, Book 5. Biography of 
 Daniel Defoe in Graded Literature Reader, Book 5; Bible, 
 Prov. 27 : 9-10. 
 
 Sing: "Robinson Crusoe,' ' from Songs Every One 
 Shoidd Know. 
 
 Birthdays : Daniel Defoe, a famous English writer, au- 
 thor of Robinson Crusoe, born in London, England, in 1661 ; 
 died in London, April 24, 1731. 
 
 Special Day: Arbor Day in Nebraska and (usually) in 
 New Jersey (third Friday in April). (See Arbor Day, 
 April 19 and 20.) 
 
 25 SELF-SACRIFICE 
 
 Hang me to the yard-arm of your ship, if you will, 
 but do not ask me to become a traitor to my country. 
 
 — Nathan Coffin 
 
 A REAL HERO 
 
 The British troops were occupying Yorktown, which 
 was besieged by the Revolutionary army. Governor Nelson 
 had his residence at Yorktown, and one would suppose that 
 he would have been anxious to protect it. The Federal 
 troops were bombarding the town, when General Lafayette 
 said to Nelson, "To what particular spot would your 
 Excellency direct that we point the cannon?" " There," 
 promptly replied the noble-minded patriot — "to that house; 
 it is mine and is the best one you can find in the town; 
 there you will be most certain to find Lord Cornwallis and 
 
190 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 the British headquarters. ' ' This incident is narrated in 
 Cnstis ' life of Washington, a volume which contains many 
 thrilling anecdotes that show the self-sacrificing spirit of 
 those early heroes who by their toils and sufferings laid 
 the foundation of our national life and glory. 
 
 Tell the children something about wireless telegraphy and 
 the graphophone. 
 
 Sing: "The Battle Prayer," from Songs Every One 
 Should Know. 
 
 Birthdays: Constance Cary Harrison (Mrs. Burton 
 Harrison), an American writer of novels and stories, born 
 in Virginia, April 25, 1846 ; lives in Washington, D. C. 
 
 Charles Sumner Tainter, an American inventor, born in 
 Watertown, Mass., April 25, 1854; lives in Washington, 
 D. C. He was the inventor of the graphophone. 
 
 Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, born at Griff one, 
 near Bologna, Italy, April 25, 1874. Inventor of wireless 
 telegraphy. 
 
 26 CHAEACTER 
 
 The fruit, when the blossom is blighted, will fall; 
 The sin will be searched out, no matter how small; 
 So what you're ashamed to do, don't do at all. 
 
 — Alice Cary 
 
 Read: Alice Cary's "The Pig and the Hen," "A Les- 
 son of Mercy," "Work," "Don't Give Up," and "Old 
 Maxims;" Bible, Prov. 12:19-22. (See "The Story of 
 Phoebe Cary," September 4, this book.) 
 
 Birthdays: Alice Cary, an American poet, born near 
 Cincinnati, Ohio, April 26, 1820; died in New York City, 
 February 12, 1871. 
 
 Martha Finley, the pen-name of Martha Farquharson, an 
 American writer for young folks, born in Chillicothe, Ohio, 
 April 26, 1828; died in Elkton, Md., Jan. 30, 1909. 
 
 Charles F. Browne (Artemas Warde), an American 
 
APRIL 191 
 
 humorist, born at Waterford, Me., April 26, 1834; died in 
 Southampton, England, March 6, 1867. 
 
 27 TEYING 
 
 "I'll try" is a soldier, 
 "I will" is a king; 
 Be sure they are near 
 When the school bells ring. 
 
 When school days are over, 
 And boys are men, 
 "I'll try" and "I will" 
 Are good friends then. 
 
 TOIL SPELLS SUCCESS 
 
 Samuel F. B. Morse was the discoverer of the telegraph. 
 The magnetic principle on which the invention depends had 
 been known since 1774, but Professor Morse was the first 
 to apply that principle for the benefit of men. He began 
 his experiments in 1832, and five years afterward succeeded 
 in obtaining a patent on his invention. Then followed 
 another long delay ; and it was not until the last day of the 
 session in 1843 that he procured from Congress an appro- 
 priation of $30,000. With that appropriation was con- 
 structed, between Baltimore and Washington, the first tele- 
 graphic line in the world. Perhaps no other invention has 
 exercised a more beneficent influence on the welfare of the 
 human race. 
 
 Read: Owen Wister's short life of Ulysses S. Grant. 
 
 Birthdays: Samuel F. B. Morse, the inventor of the 
 electric telegraph, born in Charlestown, Mass., April 27, 
 1791 ; died in New York City, April 2, 1872. 
 
 Herbert Spencer, a famous English philosopher, born in 
 Derby, England, April 27, 1820 ; died in Brighton, England, 
 December 8, 1903. 
 
 Ulysses Simpson Grant, eighteenth president of the 
 
192 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 United States, born at Point Pleasant, Ohio, April 27, 1822 ; 
 died at Mt. Gregor, N. Y., July 23, 1885. 
 
 28 POLITENESS 
 
 Good manners cannot be put on at pleasure, like an 
 outside coat, but must belong to us. 
 
 "THE POLITEST CLERK' ' 
 
 "One time when Ulysses S. Grant was in Chicago," said 
 an army official, "he lounged about Sheridan's headquar- 
 ters a good deal. His son Fred was, at that time, on Sheri- 
 dan 's staff, but was absent one day; and Grant took his 
 place at Fred's desk, to look after the business. A nervous, 
 fidgety, irritable old fellow came in to inquire for some 
 paper that he had left with Fred. When he stated his case, 
 Grant took up the matter in a sympathetic way, and pro- 
 ceeded, after the manner of an over-anxious clerk, to look 
 the paper up. The document could not be found; and 
 Grant, apologizing, walked with the old gentleman to the 
 door. As I walked down the stairs with the mollified visitor, 
 he turned and asked : ' Who is that old codger ? He is the 
 politest clerk I ever saw at military headquarters. I hope 
 that Sheridan will keep him. ' I answered quietly, * That is 
 General Grant.' The fidgety old gentleman, after staring 
 at me for a full minute, said, with considerable fervor, 'I 
 will give you fifty cents, if you will kick me downstairs.' " 
 
 — Chicago Tribune 
 
 Head: "The Monroe Doctrine," declaring that the 
 United States would not interfere in any European war, 
 nor permit any European power to get too much influence 
 on this hemisphere. (During Monroe's first term, Illinois, 
 Mississippi and Maine beeame states of the Union and 
 Spain gave up her possessions in Florida to the United 
 States. Monroe was one of the best presidents this country 
 has ever had.) 
 
APRIL 193 
 
 Birthdays : James Monroe, fifth president of the United 
 States, born in Westmoreland County, Va., April 28, 1758 ; 
 died in New York City, July 4, 1831. 
 
 James Grant Wilson, an American author, born in New 
 York City, April 28, 1832 ; lives in New York City. 
 
 29 SOWING 
 
 The best and highest thing a man can do in a day is 
 to sow a seed, whether it be in the shape of a word, an 
 act, or an acorn. 
 
 ARBOR DAY 
 
 Painter of the fruits and flowers, 
 
 We thank thee for thy wise design, 
 Whereby these human hands of ours 
 
 In Nature's garden work with thine. 
 
 Give fools their gold; give knaves their power; 
 
 Let fortune's bubbles rise and fall; 
 Who sows a field, or trains a flower 
 
 Or plants a tree, is more than all. 
 
 Special Days: Arbor Day in Michigan and Massachu- 
 setts (last Friday in April). Arbor Day in Connecticut 
 (last Friday in April or first Friday in May). Arbor Day 
 in Minnesota and Vermont (latter part of April or first 
 part of May). (See Arbor Day, April 19 and 20, 
 this book.) 
 
 30 PLEASURES 
 
 Pleasures are like poppies spread, 
 
 You seize the flower, its bloom is shed; 
 
 Or like a snowflake in the river, 
 
 A moment white then lost forever. 
 
 — Burns 
 
194 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 THE PLEASURE OF DOING GOOD 
 
 A newsboy took the Sixth Avenue elevated railroad cars 
 at Park Place, New York, at noon on Thanksgiving Day, 
 and sliding into one of the cross seats fell asleep. At 
 Grand Street two young women got on and took seats 
 opposite the lad. His feet were bare and his hat had fallen 
 off. Presently one of the young girls leaned over and 
 placed her muff under the little fellow's dirty cheek. An 
 old gentleman smiled at the act, and, without saying any- 
 thing, held out a quarter with a nod toward the boy. The 
 girl hesitated for a moment and then reached for it. The 
 next man as silently offered a dime, a woman across the 
 aisle held out some pennies, and before she knew it, the 
 girl, with flaming cheeks, had taken money from every 
 passenger in that end of the car. She quietly slipped the 
 amount into the sleeping lad's pocket, removed her muff 
 gently from under his head without arousing him, and got 
 off at Twenty-third street, including all the passengers in 
 a pretty little inclination of her head that seemed full of 
 thanks. — Exchange 
 
 Sing : * * Merry Springtime, ' ' from Merry Melcrdies. 
 
MAY 
 
 1 MAY-DAY 
 
 Who shall be queen of the May? 
 Not the prettiest one, not the wittiest one! 
 
 Nor she with the gown most gay! 
 
 But she that is pleasantest all the day through, 
 With the pleasantest things to say and to do, — 
 
 Oh, she shall be Queen of the May! 
 
 MAY-DAY IN ENGLAND 
 
 In England the first day of May was in the olden time 
 the most delightful holiday of all the year. It was the day 
 on which the nation expressed its joy at the return of 
 summer. The wild flowers were in bloom and it was suffi- 
 ciently warm for out-of-door parties. Early in the morn- 
 ing the merry girls often covered themselves with gowns 
 of green leaves and garlands of flowers. The jolly boys 
 blew their horns and waved the branches of trees which 
 they had gathered in the woods. This is what is called 
 bringing home the May. 
 
 In the afternoon the children would all meet on the lawn 
 or village green and dance around the Maypole. They 
 would choose one girl to be queen of the May, and would 
 crown her head with flowers and place a mat of flowers 
 under her feet. 
 
 Read: Tennyson's "The May Queen;" "May," by 
 Celia Thaxter. 
 
 Sing : ' ' The May Queen ' ' and ' ' May Day, ' ' from Songs 
 in Season; "May," from Merry Melodies; "May-Day 
 Song," from Uncle Sam's School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays : John Dry den, an English poet, born at Aid- 
 
196 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 winkle, Northamptonshire, England, August 9, 1631; died 
 May 1, 1700. 
 
 Joseph Addison, an English author, born at Milston, 
 Wiltshire, England, May 1, 1672 ; died June 17, 1719. 
 
 Arthur W. (Duke of) Wellington, a famous British gen- 
 eral and statesman, born near Dublin, Ireland, May 1, 1769 ; 
 died near Deal, England, Sept. 14, 1852. 
 
 George Innes, an American painter, born in Newburgh, 
 N. Y., May 1, 1825 ; died in Scotland, Aug. 3, 1894. He 
 was one of the best of American landscape painters. 
 
 Jules A. Breton, a French painter, born at Courrieres, 
 France, May 1, 1827. 
 
 2 EKBORS 
 
 Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow, 
 He who would search for pearls must dive below. 
 
 — Dryden 
 
 Birthdays : Leonardo da Vinci, a famous Italian painter, 
 born near Florence, Italy, in 1452; died near Amboise, 
 France, May 2, 1519. 
 
 William Clyde Fitch, an American author and play- 
 wright, born in New York City, May 2, 1865; died in 
 France, Sept. 4, 1909. 
 
 3 KINDNESS 
 
 I shall pass this way but once. Any good thing there- 
 fore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to 
 any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer it 
 or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. 
 
 — Gilpin 
 
 GENEROUS FORBEARANCE 
 
 A man who had done Sir Matthew Hale a great injury 
 came afterward to him for his advice in the settlement of 
 his estate. Sir Matthew gave his advice very frankly to 
 him, but would accept of no fee for it ; and thereby showed, 
 
MAY 197 
 
 both that he could forgive as a Christian, and that he had 
 the spirit of a gentleman, not to take money from one who 
 had wronged him so grievously. When he was asked how 
 he could use a man so kindly who had wronged him so 
 much, his answer was, he thanked God he had learned to 
 forget injuries. 
 
 Special Days: Arbor Day in Maine (usually the early 
 part of May). Arbor Day in New York (Friday following 
 first day of May). Arbor Day in North Dakota (first Fri- 
 day in May). (See Arbor Day, April 19 and 20, this book.) 
 
 4 AUDUBON'S BIETHDAY 
 
 God sent his singers upon earth 
 With songs of gladness and of mirth 
 That they might touch the hearts of men 
 And bring them back to heaven again. 
 
 — Longfellow 
 
 A LESSON IN PERSEVERANCE 
 
 Audubon, the celebrated American ornithologist, relates 
 the following story of how he learned a lesson of perse- 
 verance under adversity : ' ' An accident, ' ' he says, ' ' which 
 happened to two hundred of my original drawings, nearly 
 put a stop to my researches in ornithology. I shall relate 
 it, merely to show how far enthusiasm — for by no other 
 name can I call my perseverance — may enable the preserver 
 of nature to surmount the most disheartening difficulties. 
 I left the village of Henderson, in Kentucky, situated on 
 the banks of the Ohio, where I resided for several years, to 
 proceed to Philadelphia on business. I looked to my draw- 
 ings before my departure, placed them carefully in a 
 wooden box, and gave them in charge of a relative, with 
 injunctions to see that no injury should happen to them. 
 My absence was of several months; and when I returned, 
 after having enjoyed the pleasures of home for a few days, 
 
198 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 I inquired after my box, and what I was pleased to call my 
 treasure. The box was produced and opened; but, reader, 
 feel for me — a pair of Norway rats had taken possession 
 of the whole, and reared a young family among the gnawed 
 bits of paper, which, but a month previous, represented 
 nearly a thousand inhabitants of air! The burning heat 
 which instantly rushed through my brain was too great to 
 be endured without affecting my whole nervous system. I 
 slept for several nights, and the days passed like days of 
 oblivion — until the animal powers being recalled into action 
 through the strength of my constitution, I took up my gun, 
 my note-book and my pencils, and went forth to the woods 
 as gayly as if nothing had happened. I felt pleased that I 
 might now make better drawings than before; and ere a 
 period not exceeding three years had elapsed, my portfolio 
 was again filled.' ' 
 
 Read: Lucy Larcom's "The Wounded Curlew ;" "The 
 Birds of Killingsworth ; ' ' "How the Robin Got Its Red 
 Breast," from Cooke's Nature Myths and Stories; "Antics 
 in the Bird Room," from Miller's True Bird Stories. 
 
 Sing: Songs as given under "Bird Day," April 22, this 
 book. 
 
 Birthdays: John James Audubon, a celebrated Ameri- 
 can writer on birds, born in Louisiana, May 4, 1780 ; died 
 in New York, January 27, 1851. 
 
 Horace Mann, an American educator, born at Franklin, 
 Mass., May 4, 1796 ; died at Yellow Springs, Ohio, August 
 2, 1859. 
 
 William H. Prescott, a famous American historian, born 
 at Salem, Mass., May 4, 1796 ; died in Boston, Mass., Janu- 
 ary 28, 1859. 
 
 Thomas H. Huxley, an English writer on natural his- 
 tory, born in Middlesex, England, May 4, 1825; died at 
 Eastbourne, England, June 29, 1895. 
 
MAY 199 
 
 5 TIME 
 
 Use dispatch. Remember that the world only took 
 six days to create. Ask me for whatever you please, 
 except time; that is the only thing which is beyond my 
 power. — 'Napoleon 
 
 Birthday: Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France, 
 born in Ajaccio, Corsica, August 15, 1769; died on the 
 island of St. Helena, May 5, 1821. 
 
 6 GOOD DEEDS 
 
 Every gentle word you say, 
 One dark spirit drives away; 
 Every gentle deed you do 
 One bright spirit brings to you. 
 — Virginia Harrison 
 
 Tell about Peary's North Pole expedition and about 
 radium. (A grain of radium about the size of a pin-head 
 is valued at several thousand dollars.) 
 
 Birthdays: Robert E. Peary, an American explorer, 
 born at Cresson, Pa., May 6, 1856. 
 
 Pierre Curie, a famous French chemist and physicist, 
 born in Paris, France, May 6, 1859 ; killed by a street acci- 
 dent, April 19, 1906. He and his wife discovered radium. 
 
 Frank Dempster Sherman, an American poet, born at 
 Peekskill, N. Y., May 6, 1860 ; lives in New York City. 
 
 7 DUTY 
 
 Be a Man! 
 Bear thine own burden, never think to thrust 
 Thy fate upon another. 
 
 — Robert Browning 
 
 Read: "An Incident of the French Camp," by Robert 
 Browning, from Cyr's Reader, Book 4; "The Pied Piper," 
 from Jones' Reader, Book 4; biography, from Baldwin's 
 Reader, Book 8. 
 
 Birthdays: Robert Browning (husband of Elizabeth 
 
200 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Barrett Browning), a celebrated English poet, born at 
 Camberwell, near London, England, May 7, 1812; died 
 December 12, 1889. 
 
 Johannes Brahms, a famous German composer of music, 
 born in Hamburg, Germany, May 7, 1833 ; died in Vienna, 
 Austria, April 3, 1897. 
 
 8 CHEEKFULNESS 
 
 A cheerful temper joined with innocence, will make 
 beauty attractive, knowledge delightful, and wit good- 
 natured. It will lighten sickness, poverty and affliction, 
 convert ignorance to an amiable simplicity, and render 
 deformity itself agreeable. — Addison 
 
 WHERE THE SHINE CAME FROM 
 
 "Well, Grandma,' ' said a little boy, resting his elbows 
 on the old lady's stuffed chair-arm, "what have you been 
 doing here at the window all day by yourself ? ' ' 
 
 "All I could," answered dear Grandma cheerily; "I 
 have read a little, and prayed a good deal and then looked 
 out at the people. There's one little girl, Arthur, whom I 
 have learned to watch for. She has sunny brown hair, and 
 her eyes have the same sunny look in them, and I wonder 
 every day what makes her look so bright. Ah! here she 
 comes now." 
 
 Arthur took his elbows off the stuffed arm, and planted 
 them on the window-sill. 
 
 "That girl with the brown dress on?" he cried. "Why, 
 I know that girl. That's Susie Moore, and she has a 
 dreadfully hard time, Grandma. ' ' 
 
 "Has she?" said Grandma. "Well, Arthur, wouldn't 
 you like to know where she gets all that brightness from, 
 then?" 
 
 "I'll ask her," said Arthur, promptly; and he raised 
 the window and called : 
 
MAY 201 
 
 "Susie, Susie, come up here a minute; Grandma wants 
 to see you ! ' ' 
 
 The brown eyes opened wide in surprise, but the little 
 maid turned at once and came in. 
 
 ''Grandma wants to know, Susie Moore," explained the 
 boy, "what makes you look so bright all the time?" 
 
 "Why, I have to," said Susie. "You see, Father has 
 been ill a long while, and Mother is tired out with nursing, 
 and the baby is cross with her teeth, and if I were not 
 bright, who would be?" 
 
 "Yes, yes, I see," said dear old Grandma, putting her 
 arms around this little ray of sunshine. "Shine on, little 
 girl; there couldn't be a better reason for shining than 
 because it is dark at home." 
 
 Read: "Making the Best of It," and "Pippa Passes," 
 from Bailey and Lewis' For the Children's Hour; "The 
 Desert" and "The Walled Garden," from Richards' The 
 Golden Windows. 
 
 Sing: "The Merry Children," from Merry Melodies. 
 
 Birthday: Augusta Jane (Evans) Wilson, an American 
 novelist, born in Columbus, Ga., May 8, 1835; died in 
 Mobile, Ala., May 9, 1909. 
 
 Special Day: Arbor Day in Montana (second Tuesday 
 in May). (See Ardor Day, April 19 and 20, this book.) 
 
 9 WOEK 
 
 Ho, all who labor, all who strive! 
 
 Ye wield a mighty power; 
 Do with your might, do with your strength, 
 
 Fill every golden hour! 
 The glorious privilege to do 
 
 Is man's most noble dower. 
 Oh to your birthright and yourselves, 
 
 To your own souls be true! 
 A weary, wretched life is theirs 
 
 Who have no work to do. 
 
 — Caroline F. Orne 
 
202 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Birthdays: William Bradford, one of the Pilgrim 
 Fathers and second governor of Plymouth colony, born at 
 Austerfield, Yorkshire, England, in 1588 ; died at Plymouth, 
 Mass., May 9, 1657. 
 
 John Brown, an American abolitionist, born in Torring- 
 ton, Conn., May 9, 1800; hanged at Charlestown, Va., 
 December 2, 1859. 
 
 Adolph Schreyer, a German painter, born at Frankfort- 
 on-the-Main, Germany, May 9, 1828; died at Kronberg, 
 Prussia, July 30, 1899. 
 
 James Matthew Barrie, a Scottish novelist, born at Kirrie- 
 muir, Scotland, May 9, 1860 ; lives at Kirriemuir. Author 
 of The Little Minister, etc. 
 
 10 MOTHER'S DAY 
 
 [Second Sunday in May] 
 
 MOTHER'S DAY 
 
 The idea of a national Mother's Day originated with 
 Miss Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia, and the second Sunday 
 in May was the chosen day. A white carnation was desig- 
 nated as the flower to be worn in honor of Mother. 
 
 On this day acts of kindness are done in the home, letters 
 are written to mothers by children away from home, and 
 sermons preached and services held in honor of the mothers 
 of our land. 
 
 Many schoolrooms celebrate Mother's Day with programs 
 of recitations and songs on Friday preceding the Sunday 
 chosen for the observance of the occasion. 
 
 SOMEBODY'S MOTHER 
 
 When our train reached Clinton, the conductor entered 
 the car, and, taking the bundles of a very old lady, care- 
 fully helped her to the platform, and then, giving her his 
 
MAY 203 
 
 arm, conducted her to the waiting room, and placed her 
 bundles beside her. He then signaled the engineer, and 
 boarded the moving train. Struck by this unusual civility 
 to a poor woman, a gentleman said, "I beg your pardon, 
 Mr. Conductor. Was that old lady your mother?" "No," 
 said the conductor, "but she is somebody's mother." 
 
 — Sanford 
 
 Read: "My Good-f or-Nothing, ' ' by Emily Huntington 
 Miller; "A Mother's Secret," by O. W. Holmes; "A 
 Mother's Love," by James Montgomery; "O Mother-My- 
 Love," by Eugene Field; "Mother Love," by W. C. 
 Bryant; "Mother Love," by James Whitcomb Riley; "My 
 Mother," by Jane Taylor; "Just a Little Mother," by Mar- 
 garet Sangster, "Rock Me to Sleep," by Elizabeth Akers. 
 
 Sing: "Mother Day," from Songs in Season. 
 
 Birthdays: Count de Rochambeau, a French soldier, 
 who was sent to command the French troops in America, 
 where he remained helping "Washington until peace was 
 declared (1783), when he returned to France, was born 
 in Vendome, France, July 1, 1725; died in France, May 
 10, 1807. 
 
 James Bryce, a British diplomatist and statesman, born 
 in Belfast, Ireland, May 10, 1838 ; living at Hindleap, Sus- 
 sex, England. Distinguished as an author, his best known 
 work being The American Commonwealth. 
 
 11 MOTHER'S DAY 
 
 [Continued] 
 
 THE WHITE CARNATION 
 
 BY MARGARET E. SANGSTER 
 
 Here's to the white carnation, 
 
 Sturdy and spicy and sweet, 
 Wafting a breath of perfume 
 
 On the stony way of the street; 
 
204 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Bringing a thought of gladness 
 "Wherever the breezes blow; 
 
 Here 's to the white carnation, 
 Pure as the virgin snow. 
 
 This is the flower for Mother, 
 
 Wear it on Mother 's Day ; 
 Flower for rain and sunshine, 
 
 "Winsome, gallant and gay; 
 Wear it in mother's honor 
 
 Pinned to the coat's lapel; 
 Wear it in belt and corsage, 
 
 For her who loved you well. 
 
 The mother in lowly cabin, 
 
 The mother in palace hall, 
 Is ever the best and dearest 
 
 The one we love best of all. 
 In travail and pain she bore us, 
 
 In laughter and love she nursed, 
 And who that would shame a mother 
 
 Is of all mankind accursed. 
 
 Tired and wan too often, 
 
 Weary and weak at times, 
 But always full of the courage 
 
 That thrills when the future chimes; 
 Mother with hands toil-hardened, 
 
 Mother in pearls and lace, 
 The light of heavenly beauty 
 
 Shines in your tender face. 
 
 So here's to the white carnation, 
 
 Wear it on Mother 's Day ; 
 Flower that blooms for mother, 
 
 Winsome, gallant and gay. 
 
MAY 205 
 
 Flower of a perfect sweetness, 
 
 Flower for hut and hall, 
 Here 's to the white carnation 
 
 And to Mother— Our Best of All. 
 
 Birthday : John Brown, a Scottish physician and au- 
 thor, born at Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland, September, 
 1810 ; died May 11, 1882. Author of Bab and His Friends. 
 
 Special Day: Arbor Day in Rhode Island (second Fri- 
 day in May). (See Arbor Day, April 19 and 20, this book.) 
 
 12 MERCY 
 
 Teach me to feel another's woe, 
 
 To hide the fault I see; 
 That mercy I to others show, 
 
 That mercy show to me. 
 
 — Pope 
 
 FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE 
 
 Florence Nightingale early exhibited an intense devo- 
 tion to the alleviation of suffering, which, in 1844, led her 
 to give attention to the condition of hospitals. She visited 
 and inspected civil and military hospitals all over Europe ; 
 and in 1851 went into training as a nurse. In 1854 war 
 was declared with Russia, and the hospitals on the Bos- 
 phorus soon were crowded with sick and wounded. In 
 this crisis Miss Nightingale offered to go out and organize 
 a nursing-department at Scutari. Lord Herbert accepted 
 her services, and she departed with thirty- four nurses. She 
 arrived at Constantinople, November 4th, on the eve of 
 Inkermann, in time to receive the wounded into wards 
 already filled with 2,300 patients, and a few months after 
 her arrival she had 10,000 sick men under her care. In 
 1855, while in the Crimea, she was prostrated with fever, 
 but refused to leave her post, and on her recovery remained 
 at Scutari till Turkey was evacuated by the British, July 
 28, 1856. At the close of the Crimean War a fund of 
 
206 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 $250,000 was subscribed for the purpose of enabling her 
 to form an institution for the training of nurses; this is 
 spent in connection with St. Thomas' (the Nightingale 
 Home) and at King's College Hospital. 
 
 Read : The story of the life of Florence Nightingale, by 
 Laura E. Richards; Longfellow's ''Santa Filomena," which 
 was written in her praise and honor. Tell also the story of 
 Clara Barton (see The Bed Cross, October 26, this book), 
 who has been to the American soldier what Florence Night- 
 ingale was to his British cousin. 
 
 Sing : ' ' The Long Weary Day, ' ' from Songs Every One 
 Should Know; "Nearer, My God, to Thee," from American 
 School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays : Florence Nightingale, an English lady noted 
 for her care of the sick and wounded in the Crimean War, 
 born of English parents, in Florence, Italy, May 12, 1820 ; 
 died in London, England, August 13, 1910. 
 
 Henry Cabot Lodge, an American historian, born in 
 Boston, Mass., May 12, 1850. 
 
 13 GOODNESS 
 
 Ring in new school-books and new toys; 
 Ring out all things that ruin boys; 
 Ring out the smoker and the smoke; 
 Ring out old habit's ugly yoke. 
 Ring out the swearer from the street; 
 Ring out the fighter and the cheat; 
 Ring out the child that doesn't care; 
 Ring in good children everywhere. 
 
 14 GREATNESS 
 
 From a little spark may burst a mighty flame. 
 
 — Dante 
 
 15 LITTLE THINGS 
 
 Little moments make an hour; 
 
 Little thoughts, a book; 
 Little seeds, a tree or flower; 
 
 Water-drops, a brook; 
 Little deeds of faith and love 
 Make a home for you above. 
 
MAY 207 
 
 16 EIGHT AND WKONG 
 
 Little by little the world grows strong, 
 Fighting the battles of right and wrong; 
 Little by little the wrong gives way; 
 Little by little the right has sway; 
 Little by little all longing souls 
 Struggle up near the shining goals. 
 
 KEEP TO THE RIGHT 
 
 * ' Keep to the right, ' ' as the law directs, 
 
 For such is the rule of the road : 
 Keep to the right, whoever expects 
 
 Securely to carry life's load. 
 
 Keep to the right, with God and his word ; 
 
 Nor wander, though folly allure; 
 Keep to the right, nor ever be turned 
 
 From what's faithful and holy and pure. 
 
 Keep to the right, within and without, 
 With stranger and kindred and friend ; 
 
 Keep to the right, and you need have no doubt, 
 That all will be well in the end. 
 
 Keep to the right in whatever you do, 
 
 Nor claim but your own on the way ; 
 Keep to the right, and hold on to the true, 
 
 From the morn to the close of life's day. 
 
 Read: "The Immortal Fountain," from Poulsson's In 
 the CMWs World; "The Little Girl with the Light," from 
 Lindsay's Mother Stories. 
 
 Birthdays : Honore de Balzac, a noted French writer of 
 novels, born at Tours, France, May 16, 1799 ; died in Paris, 
 France, August 20, 1850. 
 
 William Henry Seward, a noted American statesman, 
 
208 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 born in Florida, Orange County, N. Y., May 16, 1801 ; died 
 in Auburn, N. Y., October 10, 1872. 
 
 17 DEEDS 
 
 We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; 
 In feelings, not in figures on a dial. 
 We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives 
 Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best. 
 
 — P. J. Bailey 
 
 A BENEFACTOR OF MANKIND 
 
 Edward Jenner, a noted English physician, made the 
 discovery that vaccinating people with cow-pox would save 
 them from taking smallpox, a disease long common in 
 Europe. He got his idea from hearing that peasants who 
 had accidentally caught the cow-pox from milking cows 
 diseased with it were free from smallpox. He worked many 
 years to find a sure way of vaccinating one person from 
 another, as well as from the pock of a cow ; and although he 
 proved it a success, it took many years more to get the 
 London physicians to believe it. At last, about the year 
 1800, vaccination began to be widely practiced, and soon 
 spread all over the globe. Wealth and honor were bestowed 
 on Dr. Jenner, and he was called a benefactor of mankind. 
 
 Birthday: Edward Jenner, a noted English physician, 
 born in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England, May 17, 1749 ; 
 died at Berkeley, January 26, 1823. 
 
 18 PEACE DAY 
 
 Peace has her victories, 
 No less renown'd than war. 
 
 — Milton 
 
 THE HAGUE PEACE CONFERENCE 
 
 On the 18th of May, 1899, the Czar of Russia called the 
 first peace conference at The Hague, in Holland, and one 
 
MAY 209 
 
 hundred representatives met in that city, in Queen Wil- 
 helmina's little palace called "The Home in the Woods." 
 For three months they sat behind closed doors in a circular 
 hall decorated with large paintings commemorating the 
 Peace of Munster. In that hall is inscribed the motto ' ' The 
 greatest victory is that by which peace is won. " The results 
 of that conference were as follows: A permanent inter- 
 national tribunal was established with over seventy perma- 
 nent judges, four of whom were to be appointed by the 
 United States. That tribunal opened in 1901. Andrew 
 Carnegie donated $1,500,000 for the erection of a building. 
 The first case before that tribunal was submitted by the 
 United States and Mexico. By its provisions for mediation 
 President Roosevelt made possible the Portsmouth treaty 
 between Japan and Russia. 
 
 The second Hague conference met June 15, 1907, repre- 
 sentatives of all the nations of the globe were present, and 
 it was in session four months. It was the most august 
 assembly in human history. Some of the important matters 
 that failed of the unanimous acceptance necessary were 
 accepted by a large majority. Provision was made for a 
 third conference to assemble within eight years. A world 
 court was agreed upon to try cases by international law. 
 That court has fifteen judges, and in addition to it there 
 is a tribunal of arbitration. Notable harmony and cour- 
 tesy existed among all the delegates. Several nations, 
 among them the five Central American states, have agreed 
 to arbitrate every question arising between them. 
 
 O! make Thou us through centuries long, 
 In peace secure, in justice strong; 
 Around our gift of freedom draw 
 The safeguard of Thy righteous law. 
 
 — Whittier 
 
 Read: "Angel of Peace," by O. W. Holmes; "The 
 People's Song of Peace," by Joaquin Miller. 
 
 Sing : "The Message of Peace, " " The Dawn of Peace, ' ' 
 
210 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 and "The Song of Peace/ ' from May Intermediate Plan 
 Book, by Marian M. George. 
 
 Special Day : Peace Day, the 18th day of May. 
 
 19 CHARACTER 
 
 No fountain is so small but that heaven may be 
 imaged in its bosom. — Hawthorne 
 
 Read: Biography of Hawthorne, from Jones' Reader, 
 Book 4; The Or eat Stone Face; The Miraculous Pitcher. 
 
 Birthday: Nathaniel Hawthorne, a famous American 
 author, born in Salem, Mass., July 4, 1804; died in Plym- 
 outh, Mass., May 19, 1864. 
 
 20 DUTY 
 
 So nigh is grandeur to our dust, 
 
 So near is God to man, 
 When Duty whispers low, Thou must, 
 
 The youth replies, / can. 
 
 — Emerson 
 
 Birthday: Albert Diirer, a noted German painter and 
 engraver, born in Nuremberg, Germany, May 20, 1471 ; died 
 in Nuremberg, April 6, 1528. 
 
 21 FLOWER DAY 
 
 Dear common flower, that grow'st beside the way, 
 Fringing the dusty road with harmless gold, 
 First pledge of blithesome May. 
 
 — From "To a Dandelion," by Lowell 
 
 Read: "Little Ida's Flowers" and "Angel" from An- 
 dersen's Wonder Stories; "Garden Farm," from Richards' 
 More Five Minute Stories. Have pupils collect and recite 
 quotations about flowers from various authors. 
 
 Sing: "Pansies," "Daisies in the Meadows," "Forget- 
 Me-Not," "A Sweet Pea," "Stars and Posies," "Butter- 
 cups and Daisies" and "Daisy Nurses" from Songs in 
 Season. 
 
MAY 211 
 
 22 ORDER 
 
 Order is Heaven's first law. — Pope 
 
 Birthdays: Alexander Pope, a famous English poet, 
 born in London, England, May 22, 1688 ; died at Twicken- 
 ham, England, May 30, 1744. 
 
 Richard Wagner, a famous German writer of music and 
 poetry, born in Leipsic, Germany, May 22, 1813; died at 
 Venice, Italy, February 13, 1883. 
 
 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a British novelist, born in 
 Edinburgh, Scotland, May 22, 1859; lives at Hindhead, 
 Surrey, England. 
 
 23 DOING GOOD 
 
 He liveth long who liveth well; 
 
 All else is life but flung away; 
 He liveth longest who can tell 
 
 Of true things truly done each day. 
 
 Sow love, and taste its fruitage pure; 
 
 Sow peace, and reap its harvest bright; 
 Sow sunbeams on the rock and moor, 
 
 And find a harvest home of light. 
 
 H. Bonar 
 
 24 CLEANLINESS 
 
 Cleanliness may be defined to be the emblem of purity 
 of mind. — Addison 
 
 NEIGHBOR MINE 
 
 There are barrels in the hallways, 
 
 Neighbor mine, 
 Pray be mindful of them always, 
 
 Neighbor mine. 
 If you're not devoid of feeling, 
 Quickly to those barrels stealing, 
 Throw in each banana peeling, 
 
 Neighbor mine. 
 
212 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Look ! where 'er you drop a paper, 
 
 Neighbor mine, 
 In the wind it cuts a caper, 
 
 Neighbor mine. 
 Down the street it madly courses, 
 And should fill you with remorses, 
 When you see it scare the horses, 
 
 Neighbor mine. 
 
 Paper cans were made for papers, 
 
 Neighbor mine, 
 Let's not have the fact escape us, 
 
 Neighbor mine. 
 And if you will lend a hand, 
 Soon our city dear shall stand 
 As the cleanest in the land, 
 
 Neighbor mine. 
 
 Read: Bible, Psalm 24 : 4. 
 
 Birthday : Sir Arthur W. Pinero, an English dramatist, 
 born in London, England, May 24, 1855 ; lives in London. 
 
 25 LIFE IS SHORT 
 
 Life is too short to waste in critic peep or cynic bark, 
 
 Quarrel or reprimand; 'twill soon be dark; 
 
 Up! mind thine own aim, and God speed the mark. 
 
 — Emerson 
 
 Read: " Forbearance, ' ' "Each and All," "The Moun- 
 tain and the Squirrel," "Friendship" and "Days," by 
 Emerson. 
 
 Birthdays: Ralph Waldo Emerson, a noted American 
 writer, born in Boston, Mass., May 25, 1803; died at Con- 
 cord, Mass., April 27, 1882. 
 
 Edward G. E. Bulwer-Lytton, a famous English writer, 
 born in London, England, May 25, 1803 ; died at Torquay, 
 Devonshire, England, January 18, 1873. 
 
MAY 213 
 
 26 BEAUTY 
 
 I know blue modest violets, 
 
 Gleaming with dew at morn — 
 
 I know the place you came from, 
 
 And the way that you were born! 
 
 When God cuts holes in heaven, 
 
 The holes the stars look through, 
 
 He lets the scraps fall down to earth, 
 
 The little scraps are you. 
 
 — Phoebe Cary 
 
 27 HONOB 
 
 From our ancestors come our names, but from our 
 honesty our honor. 
 
 OUR PRESIDENTS IN RHYME 
 
 BY JEANNIE PENDLETON EWING 
 
 With "Washington 's name did the President 's start — 
 
 ' ' First in war, first in peace and each countryman 's heart. ' ' 
 
 Then Adams, and then Thomas Jefferson, who 
 
 Wrote the great Declaration for me and for you. 
 
 Two Jameses — James Madison, and then James Monroe, 
 
 And John Quincy Adams came next, you should know. 
 
 Next Jackson, Van Buren; when Harrison died 
 
 Vice-President Tyler succeeded with pride. 
 
 Polk, Taylor, and Fillmore, in turn, and then Pierce, 
 
 With Buchanan and Lincoln as war-times loomed fierce. 
 
 Johnson, Grant, Hayes and Garfield; when Garfield was 
 
 killed, 
 His term by Vice-President Arthur was filled. 
 Cleveland, Harrison ; Cleveland again for a term, 
 Then William McKinley, a good man and firm. 
 Next, Roosevelt, hunter and President great, 
 Good soldier in battle, and good, too, in State. 
 And then Mr. Taft, till the March day and hour 
 When President Wilson succeeds him in power. 
 
 — Popular Educator 
 
214 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Birthdays: Nathanael Greene, a noted American gen- 
 eral, born at Potowhommet, R. L, May 27, 1742 ; died near 
 Savannah, Georgia, June 19, 1786. 
 
 Julia Ward Howe, an American poet, born in New York, 
 N. Y., May 27, 1819 ; died in Portsmouth, R. I., Oct. 17, 
 1910. 
 
 John Kendrick Bangs, an American author and editor, 
 born at Yonkers, N. Y., May 27, 1862; lives at Yonkers. 
 
 28 MEMORY 
 
 Let Fate do her worst; there are relics of joy, 
 Bright dreams of the past, which she cannot destroy. 
 They come in the night-time of sorrow and care, 
 And bring back the features that joy used to wear. 
 Long, long be my heart with such memories filled, 
 Like a vase in which roses have once been distilled; 
 You may break, you may shatter the vase if you will 
 But the scent of the roses will hang round it still. 
 
 — Moore 
 Read : Selections from Moore 's poems. 
 Sing : ' ' The Last Rose of Summer, ' ' ' ' The Minstrel Boy ' ' 
 and ' ' The Harp that Once thro ' Tara 's Halls, ' ' from Songs 
 Every One Should Know. 
 
 Birthdays : Thomas Moore, a famous Irish poet, born in 
 Dublin, Ireland, May 28, 1779; died at Bromham, Febru- 
 ary 25, 1852. 
 
 Louis J. R. Agassiz, a noted teacher of natural history, 
 born in Motiers, Switzerland, May 28, 1807 ; died in Cam- 
 bridge, Mass., December 14, 1873. 
 
 29 PATRIOTISM 
 
 I know not what course others may take, but as 
 for me, give me liberty or give me death! 
 
 — Patrick Henry 
 
 PATRICK HENRY 
 
 When Patrick Henry grew to be a man he went into 
 business, but failed twice; he then became a lawyer, but 
 
MAY 215 
 
 for three years got very little practice, when by some lucky 
 chance he was chosen as lawyer in a case called the "Par- 
 sons' Cause" because it was a quarrel between the parsons 
 and the planters. To the surprise of everybody, Henry 
 made a wonderful speech, and though he lost his case, 
 from that time he was famous. He soon became the leader 
 of the people's party, and when a member of the legisla- 
 ture (1765), he took a strong stand against the Stamp Act; 
 and in his speech against it used these celebrated words: 
 "Caesar had his Brutus, Charles I. his Cromwell, and 
 George III." (here people cried out 'Treason!') "may 
 profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most 
 of it." In 1774 he was the first speaker of the General 
 Congress which met in Philadelphia. The next year he 
 made his famous speech in Virginia in favor of putting 
 the colony in a state of defense, in which he concluded: 
 "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, 
 give me liberty or give me death!" Patrick Henry was 
 twice Governor of Virginia, and refused many high offices. 
 
 Birthday: Patrick Henry, a famous American orator 
 and statesman, born in Hanover County, Va., May 29, 1736 ; 
 died at Red Hill, Va., June 16, 1799. 
 
 30 MEMORIAL DAY 
 
 For the dead, a tribute; 
 
 For the living, a memory; 
 
 For posterity, an emblem of loyalty to the 
 
 flag of their country. 
 — Inscription on Soldiers 9 Monument, Pittsfield, Mass. 
 
 MEMORIAL DAY 
 
 With slow and reverent tread 
 I bring the roses red, 
 To deck the soldier's bed, 
 Emblem of blood they shed 
 For this our native land. 
 
216 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 And I, white daisies bring, 
 A simple offering; 
 Emblem of holy peace, 
 Oh, may its reign ne'er cease 
 In this our happy land. 
 
 I bring the violets blue, 
 
 They say, "Be true, be true, 
 
 True to the friends that love you, 
 
 True to the God above you 
 
 And to thy native land. ' ' 
 
 Read: Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," "The Blue and 
 the Gray," by Francis M. Finch; "Cover Them Over," by 
 Will Carleton. 
 
 Sing: "America," "The Star-Spangled Banner," 
 * ■ Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean, " " Battle Hymn of the 
 Republic," "We're Tenting To-night"; also "Memorial 
 Day" and "The Blue and the Gray Together," from Songs 
 in Season. 
 
 Birthday: Alfred Austin, an English poet and critic, 
 born at Headingly, near Leeds, England, May 30, 1835. 
 He succeeded Tennyson as Poet Laureate, in 1896. 
 
 31 MEMOEIAL DAY 
 
 [Continued] 
 Furl the banner, softly, slowly, 
 Treat it gently, it is holy — 
 For it droops above the dead. 
 
 Memorize extracts from Daniel Webster's "Bunker Hill 
 Oration. ' ' 
 
 Birthday : Walt Whitman, an American poet, born at 
 West Hills, Long Island, N. Y., May 31, 1819; died in 
 Camden, N. J., March 26, 1892. 
 
JUNE 
 
 1 GEEATNESS 
 
 Lives of great men all remind us, 
 We can make our lives sublime, 
 
 And departing, leave behind us 
 Footprints in the sands of time. 
 
 Footprints, that perhaps another, 
 Sailing o'er life's solemn main, 
 
 A forlorn and shipwreck'd brother, 
 Seeing, shall take heart again. 
 
 —Ibid 
 
 2 FORGIVENESS 
 
 If those who've wronged us own their faults and kindly pity pray, 
 When shall we listen and forgive? To-day, my love, to-day. 
 But if stern justice urge rebuke, and warmth from memory borrow, 
 When shall we chide, if chide we must? To-morrow, love, to-morrow. 
 
 A NOBLE EXAMPLE 
 
 Joseph Bradford was for many years the traveling com- 
 panion of the Rev. John Wesley, and considered no assist- 
 ance to him too servile, but was subject to changes of 
 temper. Wesley directed him to carry a package of letters 
 to the post; Bradford wished to hear his sermon first; 
 Wesley was urgent and insisted; Bradford refused. 
 "Then," said Wesley, "you and I must part." "Very 
 good, sir," replied Bradford. 
 
 They slept over it. On rising the next morning Wesley 
 accosted his old friend and asked if he had considered what 
 he had said, that "they must part." "Yes, sir," replied 
 Bradford. "And must we part?" inquired Wesley. 
 
218 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 " Please yourself, sir," was the reply. "Will you ask my 
 pardon?'' rejoined Wesley. "No, sir." "You won't?" 
 "No, sir." "Then I will ask yours!" replied the great 
 man. Bradford melted under the example, and wept like 
 a child. 
 
 Read: "A Hero from Valley Forge," from An Amer- 
 ican Book of Golden Deeds; Bible, Matt. 5 : 7-9. 
 
 Sing: "Rock of Ages," from Uncle Sam's School Songs. 
 
 Birthdays: John Randolph, of Roanoke, an American 
 orator, born in Chesterfield County, Va., June 2, 1773 ; died 
 in Philadelphia, Pa., June 24, 1833. 
 
 John Godfrey Saxe, an American writer, born in High- 
 gate, Vt, June 2, 1816 ; died at Albany, N. Y., March 31, 
 1887. 
 
 3 GOODNESS 
 
 I wish that friends were always true, 
 
 And motives always pure; 
 I wish the good were not so few; 
 
 I wish the bad were fewer. 
 
 — J. G. Saxe 
 
 Birthday: Jefferson Davis, an American statesman and 
 president of the Confederate States during the Civil War, 
 born in Christian County, Kentucky, June 3, 1808; died 
 in New Orleans, La., December 6, 1889. 
 
 4 KINDNESS 
 
 Little deeds of kindness, little words of love, 
 
 Make our earth an Eden like the heaven above. 
 
 — Frances 8. Osgood 
 
 ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND HIS MOTHER 
 
 Abraham Lincoln was devotedly attached to his step- 
 mother. When he became a man he often spoke of her as 
 his "saintly mother/ ' his " angel of a mother.' ' 
 
JUNE 219 
 
 She, herself, late in life, could not speak of him without 
 tears, so great was her affection for him. 
 
 "Abe," she said, "was kind, and good, and true. He 
 never gave me a cross word, and never refused to do any- 
 thing I asked him. He was dutiful and obedient to me 
 always, and I think he loved me truly.' ' 
 
 5 LOVE 
 
 There is beauty in the sunlight, 
 And the soft blue heaven above; 
 Oh, the world is full of beauty, 
 When the heart is full of love. 
 — W. 8. Smith 
 
 6 PATRIOTISM 
 
 I only regret that I have but one life to give for 
 my country. — Nathan Hale 
 
 CAPTAIN NATHAN HALE 
 
 After Washington's famous retreat from Long Island 
 during the Revolutionary War, he wished to learn some- 
 thing about the plans of the English general, Howe. When 
 volunteers were called for to attempt the hazardous under- 
 taking of crossing the enemy's lines for information, brave 
 Capt. Nathan Hale cheerfully offered to go, and Washing- 
 ton intrusted him with the important duty. His mission 
 was completed and just as he was returning a Tory rela- 
 tive discovered the identity of Capt. Hale, causing his 
 arrest as a spy. The next morning, after being treated 
 cruelly by the British and refused the use of his Bible, 
 he was hung as a spy. Letters that he had written to his 
 sisters and mother were destroyed by his unsympathetic 
 captors. He died like a brave man, saying: "I regret 
 that I have but one life to give for my country." 
 
 Read : ' ' Nathan Hale, ' ' by Francis Miles Finch. 
 Birthdays: Nathan Hale, an American soldier and 
 
220 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 patriot, born in Coventry, Conn., June 6, 1755 ; hanged as 
 a spy in New York City, September 22, 1776. 
 
 John Trumbull, an American painter, born in Lebanon, 
 Conn., June 6, 1756; died in New York City, November 
 10, 1843. 
 
 7 TRUE DIGNITY 
 
 True dignity abides with him alone 
 
 Who, in the patient hour of silent thought, 
 
 Can still respect and still revere himself. 
 
 — Wordsworth 
 
 ASSOCIATION 
 
 There are localities in Switzerland where the canary is 
 caged with the nightingale so that it may catch the sweet- 
 ness and breathe into its notes that harmonious melody 
 that delights all tourists in Europe. It is a demonstration 
 of association. 
 
 So men may make their lives strong, pure, sweet and 
 holy in thought, word, and deed by unbroken association 
 with those who live on a higher plane. 
 
 — Popular Educator 
 
 Birthday: Richard D. Blackmore, an English novelist, 
 born at Longworth, Berkshire, England, June 7, 1825; 
 died January 21, 1900. Author of Lorna Boone, etc. 
 
 8 DUTY 
 
 The boys and girls who do their best, 
 
 Their best will better grow; 
 But those who slight their daily task, 
 
 They let the better go. 
 
 Birthdays: Charles Keade, a famous English novelist, 
 born at Ipsden House, Oxfordshire, England, June 8, 1814 ; 
 died in London, April 11, 1884. Author of The Cloister 
 and the Hearth. 
 
 Sir John Everett Millais, an English painter, born in 
 
JUNE 221 
 
 Southampton, England, June 8, 1829; died in London, 
 England, August 31, 1896. 
 
 9 PERSEVERANCE 
 
 In the lexicon of youth, which fate reserves for a 
 bright manhood, there is no such word as fail. 
 
 — Bulwer-Lytton 
 
 "PERSEVERE" 
 
 George Stephenson, when addressing young men, was 
 accustomed to sum up his best advice to them in the words : 
 "Do as I have done — persevere." He was the son of a 
 poor colliery laborer, and when fourteen years old became 
 an assistant fireman in the colliery. He had not learned 
 to read until he was eighteen. But when he was placed in 
 charge of an engine he studied it so carefully that he could 
 take it to pieces and put it together again. The engines of 
 those days were stationary, and locomotives were unknown. 
 People had often said what a good thing it would be if some- 
 body only would invent an engine to draw wagons ; but the 
 wise shook their heads and said that was impossible. 
 Stephenson soon showed them it was quite possible to 
 make an engine that would go, but he spent fifteen hard 
 years working at the improvement of his locomotive before 
 achieving his decisive victory at Rainhill. This is only 
 one of many striking illustrations showing how by patient 
 trying success has been won in every branch of science, art, 
 and industry. 
 
 Sing: "Home, Sweet Home." 
 
 Birthdays : George Stephenson, a noted English railway 
 engineer, the inventor of the locomotive, born at Wylam, 
 Northumberland, England, June 9, 1781 ; died at his estate 
 of Tapton Park, England, August 12, 1848. 
 
 John Howard Payne, an American writer and actor, born 
 
222 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 in New York, June 9, 1792 ; died in Tunis, April 10, 1852. 
 Author of the song, ''Home, Sweet Home." 
 
 Francis Miles Finch, an American lawyer, and poet, born 
 at Ithica, N. Y., June 9, 1827; died in Ithica, July 31, 
 1907. Author of poems, ." Nathan Hale" and "The Blue 
 and the Gray." 
 
 10 OBEDIENCE 
 
 He who has learned to obey, will know how to 
 command. — Solon 
 
 Birthdays: Peter I, called Peter the Great, emperor of 
 Russia, fifth of the house of Romanoff, born near Moscow, 
 Russia, June 10, 1672 ; died in St. Petersburg, February 8, 
 1725. 
 
 Karl Hagenbeck, a German animal trainer and menagerie 
 owner, born in Hamburg, Germany, June 10, 1845. 
 
 11 NOBILITY 
 
 Beautiful faces are those that wear 
 The light of a pleasant spirit there; 
 It matters little if dark or fair. 
 
 Beautiful hands are those that do 
 Deeds that are noble, good, and true; 
 Busy with them the long day through. 
 
 Beautiful feet are those that go 
 Swiftly to lighten another's woe, 
 Through the summer's heat or winter's snow. 
 
 Beautiful children, if, rich or poor, 
 They walk the pathways sweet and pure 
 That lead to the mansion strong and sure. 
 
 Birthdays: Joseph "Warren, a noted American patriot, 
 born in Roxbury, Mass., June 11, 1741. Killed in the battle 
 of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. 
 
 Mrs. Humphrey Ward, an English novelist, born in 
 Hobart, Tasmania, June 11, 1851. (Her maiden name was 
 
JUNE 223 
 
 Mary Augusta Arnold, she being a granddaughter of Dr. 
 Thomas Arnold of Rugby, and a niece of Matthew Arnold.) 
 Richard Strauss, a German composer, born in Munich, 
 Germany, June 11, 1864; lives in Berlin, Germany. 
 
 12 HONESTY 
 
 Do what conscience says is right; 
 Do what reason says is best; 
 Do with all your mind and might; 
 Do your duty and be blest. 
 
 Birthday: Charles Kingsley, a famous English clergy- 
 man and writer, born in Holne, Devonshire, England, June 
 12, 1819 ; died at Eversley, England, January 23, 1875. 
 
 13 RESPECT FOR THE AGED 
 
 Be kind and be gentle 
 To those who are old, 
 For dearer is kindness, 
 And better, than gold. 
 
 SPARTAN RESPECT FOR THE AGED 
 
 There was a great play at the principal theater in Athens 
 one night. The seats set apart for strangers were filled with 
 Spartan boys; and other seats, not far distant, were filled 
 with Athenian youth. The theater was crowded, when an 
 old man, infirm, and leaning on a staff, entered. There was 
 no seat for him. The Athenian youth called to the old 
 man to come to them, and with great difficulty he picked his 
 way to their benches; but not a boy rose and offered him a 
 seat. Seeing this, the Spartan boys beckoned to the old 
 man to come to them, and, as he approached their benches, 
 every Spartan boy rose, and, with uncovered head, stood 
 until the old man was seated, and then all quietly resumed 
 their seats. Seeing this, the Athenians broke out in loud 
 applause. The old man rose, and, in a voice that filled the 
 
224 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 theater, said, "The Athenians know what is right: the 
 Spartans do it." — White's School Management 
 
 Birthday: Winfield Scott, an American general, born 
 at Petersburg, Va., June 13, 1786 ; died at West Point, N. 
 Y., May 29, 1866. 
 
 14 FLAG DAY 
 
 One flag, one land, 
 
 One heart, one" hand, 
 
 One nation evermore. 
 
 — Holmes 
 
 THE SCHOOL-HOUSE STANDS BY THE FLAG 
 
 BY HEZEKIAH BUTTERWORTH 
 
 Ye who love the Eepublic, remember the claim 
 Ye owe to her fortunes, ye owe to her name, 
 To her years of prosperity past and in store, 
 A hundred behind you, a thousand before. 
 
 'Tis the school-house that stands by the flag, 
 
 Let the nation stand by the school ; 
 'Tis the school-bell that rings for our Liberty old, 
 'Tis the school-boy whose ballot shall rule. 
 
 The blue arch above us is Liberty's dome, 
 The green fields beneath us, Equality's home. 
 But the schoolroom to-day is Humanity's friend, — 
 Let the people the flag and the school-house defend. 
 'Tis the school-house that stands by the flag, 
 
 Let the nation stand by the school ; 
 'Tis the school-bell that rings for our Liberty old, 
 'Tis the school-boy whose ballot shall rule. 
 
 Read: "The Flag Goes By," by Henry H. Bennett; 
 "An American in Europe," by Henry van Dyke; Whit- 
 tier 's ' ' Barbara Frietchie " ; " The Heroine of Fort Henry, ' ' 
 
JUNE 225 
 
 from Baldwin's American Book of Golden Deeds; "The 
 Stars and Stripes/' from Our Holidays: Retold from St. 
 Nicholas; "Betsy Ross; Our Flag," from Wilson's History 
 Reader. 
 
 Sing : "The First Flag, ' ' " The Salute, " and " The Red, 
 White, and Blue," from Songs in Season; "Flag of the 
 Free," "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean," and "Flag of 
 the Stars I Love, ' ' from American School Songs; c ' Hurrah 
 for the Flag!" from Howliston's Child's Song Book. 
 
 15 FLAG DAY 
 
 [Continued] 
 
 Red, White and Blue, wave on! 
 Never may sire or son 
 
 Thy glory mar. 
 Sacred to liberty, 
 Honored on land and sea, 
 Unsoiled forever be, 
 
 Each stripe and star. 
 
 WHAT IS A FLAG WORTH? 
 
 "Here's a , but I won't offer that old rag for sale. 
 
 Too ragged ; clerk, take it away !" 
 
 "I'll give five cents for it," shouted a ragman that 
 chanced to be present. "And I'll give ten dollars for it," 
 thundered a man near the door, stepping forward, the 
 money in his hand. 
 
 The auctioneer looked dumbfounded. "It's an Amer- 
 ican flag," said the man, holding it up before the people. 
 * ' Is there a man here that says the American Flag is not 
 worth ten dollars ? ' ' 
 
 Learn : "A Salute to the Flag, ' ' by Charles Sumner : 
 "White for purity, red for valor, blue for justice, the 
 
 flag of our country, to be cherished by all our hearts, to 
 
 be upheld by all our hands. ' ' 
 
 Birthday: Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe, a noted 
 
226 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 American writer, born at Litchfield, Conn., June 15, 1812 ; 
 died at Hartford, Conn., July 1, 1896. 
 
 16 FLAG SALUTE 
 
 [Adopted by the National Societies G. A. R. and W. C. R.] 
 
 We give our heads and our hearts to God and our 
 country. One country, one language, one flag. 
 
 First Signal: The pupils having been assembled and 
 being seated, and the flag borne by the standard bearer 
 being in front of the school, at the signal (either by a chord 
 struck on the piano or, in the absence of a piano, from a 
 bell) each scholar seizes the seat preparatory to rising. 
 
 Second Signal: The whole school rises quickly, as one 
 person, erect and alert. 
 
 Third Signal: The right arm is extended, pointing 
 directly at the flag; as the flag bearer should be on the 
 platform where all can see the colors, the extended arm will 
 be slightly raised above a horizontal line. 
 
 Fourth Signal: The forearm is bent so as to touch the 
 forehead lightly with the tip of the fingers of the right 
 hand. The motion should be quick, but graceful, the elbow 
 being kept down and not allowed to " stick out" to the 
 right. As the fingers touch the forehead, each pupil will 
 exclaim in a clear voice, "We give our heads" (emphasiz- 
 ing the word "heads"). 
 
 Fifth Signal: The right hand is carried quickly to the 
 left side and placed flat over the heart, with the words, * ' and 
 our hearts!" (after the movement has been made). 
 
 Sixth Signal: The right hand is allowed to fall quickly, 
 but easily, to the right side; as soon as the motion is ac- 
 complished, all will say, "to God and our country!" 
 
 Seventh Signal: Each scholar still standing erect, but 
 without moving, will exclaim, "One country!" (emphasis 
 on "country"). 
 
JUNE 227 
 
 Eighth Signal: The scholars, still standing motionless, 
 will exclaim, ' ' One language ! ' ' (emphasis on ' ' language ' ') . 
 
 Ninth Signal: The right arm is suddenly extended to 
 its full length, the hand pointing to the flag, the body in- 
 clining slightly forward, supported by the right foot slightly 
 advanced. The attitude should be one of intense earnest- 
 ness. The pupil reaches, as it were, toward the flag, at the 
 same time exclaiming with great force, "One flag!" 
 
 Tenth Signal: The right arm is dropped to the side and 
 the position of attention recovered. 
 
 Eleventh Signal: Each scholar seizes the seat prepara- 
 tory to turning it down. 
 
 Twelfth Signal: The school is seated. 
 
 Flag Bearer: The color bearer grasps the staff at the 
 lower end with his right hand and a foot or more (accord- 
 ing to the length of the staff) above the end of the staff 
 with his left hand. The staff is held directly in front of 
 the middle of the body, slightly inclined forward from the 
 perpendicular. At the fourth signal, the flag will be dipped, 
 returning the salute ; this is done by lowering the left hand 
 until the staff is nearly horizontal, keeping it in that posi- 
 tion until the tenth signal, when it will be restored to its 
 first, or nearly vertical, position. 
 
 Birthday: Wesley Merritt, an American soldier, born 
 in New York City, June 16, 1836 ; died at Natural Bridge, 
 Va., December 3, 1910. 
 
 17 HELPFULNESS 
 
 A sense of an earnest will 
 
 To help the lowly living, 
 And a terrible heart thrill, 
 
 If you have no power of giving; 
 An aim to aid the weak, 
 
 A friendly hand to the friendless, 
 Kind words so short to speak, 
 
 But whose echo is endless; 
 
228 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 The world is wide, these things are small, 
 They may be nothing, but they are all. 
 
 — M ilnes 
 
 Birthdays: John Wesley, a famous English clergyman, 
 founder of the Methodists, born at Epworth, Lincolnshire, 
 England, June 17, 1703 ; died in London, March 2, 1791. 
 
 Charles Francois Gounod, a noted French writer of 
 music, born in Paris, France, June 17, 1818 ; died in Paris, 
 October 18, 1893. Wrote the opera Faust. 
 
 Special Day : Anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill 
 (June 17, 1775). 
 
 18 BOOKS 
 
 Thought is the seed of action. — Emerson 
 
 THE PARADOX OF BOOKS 
 
 BY HANNAH MORE 
 
 I 'm strange contraditions ; I 'm new and I 'm old, 
 
 I 'm often in tatters, and often decked with gold. 
 
 Though I never could read, yet lettered I 'm found ; 
 
 Though blind, I enlighten ; though loose, I am bound. 
 
 I 'm always in black, and I 'm always in white ; 
 
 I am grave and I 'm gay, I am heavy and light. 
 
 In form too I differ, — I 'm thick and I 'm thin ; 
 
 I 've no flesh and no bone, yet I 'm covered with skin ; 
 
 I Ve more points than the compass, more stops than the flute ; 
 
 I sing without voices, without speaking confute ; 
 
 I 'm English, I 'm German, I 'm French, and I 'm Dutch ; 
 
 Some love me too fondly, some slight me too much ; 
 
 I often die soon, though I sometimes live ages, 
 
 And no monarch alive has so many pages. 
 
 Birthday: David D. Porter, an American naval com- 
 mander, born in Philadelphia, Pa., June 18, 1813; died 
 February 13, 1891. 
 
JUNE 229 
 
 19 EXTRAVAGANCE 
 
 Beware of little extravagances; a small leak will 
 sink a big ship. — Benjamin Franklin 
 
 FARRAGUT'S RESOLUTION 
 
 When Admiral Farragut's son was ten years old the 
 father said in his hearing that when he was old enough to 
 make a contract and keep it, he had a bargain to offer him. 
 The son rose up and asked the father what the contract 
 was. The Admiral said, "The proposal I intend to make 
 is this : If you will not smoke or chew tobacco, drink in- 
 toxicating or strong wines, till you are twenty-one years 
 of age, I will then give you one thousand dollars. ' ' "lam 
 old enough to make that bargain now," said young Far- 
 ragut. "I will accept the offer," The bargain was closed, 
 and when young Farragut was twenty-one the cash was 
 handed over to him. A smoking boy can save a thousand 
 dollars in a few years in the same way, besides saving 
 physical energy and moral power. — Popular Educator 
 
 Birthday: Richard M. Milnes [Baron Houghton], an 
 English statesman and poet, born in London, England, 
 June 19, 1809 ; died at Vichy, France, Aug. 11 1885. 
 
 20 PUNCTUALITY 
 
 Time is always on the wing, 
 
 You can never stop its flight, 
 Then do at once your little task, 
 
 Happier you will be at night. 
 
 PUNCTUALITY 
 
 When Washington's secretary excused himself for the 
 lateness of his attendance and laid the blame upon his 
 watch, his master quietly said, ' ' Then you must get another 
 watch, or I another secretary. ' ' It will generally be found 
 that the men who are thus habitually behind time are 
 
230 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 habitually behind success; and the world casts them aside 
 to swell the ranks of the grumblers and the railers against 
 fortune. 
 
 21 GENTLENESS 
 
 Every gentle word you say 
 One dark spirit drives away; 
 
 Every gentle deed you do 
 One bright spirit brings to you. 
 — Virginia B. Harrison 
 
 22 ADVERSITY 
 
 By adversity are wrought 
 The greatest works of admiration, 
 And all the fair examples of renown 
 Out of distress and misery are grown. 
 
 23 MANNERS 
 
 To be polite is to do and say 
 
 The kindest thing in the kindest way. 
 
 A GENTLEMAN 
 
 I knew him for a gentleman 
 
 By signs that never fail : 
 His coat was rough and rather worn, 
 
 His cheeks were thin and pale, — 
 A lad who had his way to make, 
 
 With little time to play. 
 I knew him for a gentleman 
 
 By certain signs to-day. 
 
 He met his mother on the street ; 
 
 Off came his little cap. 
 My door was shut ; lie waited there 
 
 Until I heard his rap. 
 
JUNE 231 
 
 He took the bundle from my hand ; 
 
 And when I dropped my pen, 
 He sprang to pick it up for me, 
 
 This gentleman of ten. 
 
 He does not push or crowd along; 
 
 His voice is gently pitched; 
 He does not fling his books about 
 
 As if he were bewitched. 
 He stands aside to let you pass; 
 
 He always shuts the door ; 
 He runs on errands willingly, 
 
 To forge and mill and store. 
 
 He thinks of you before himself ; 
 
 He serves you if he can, 
 For in whatever company, 
 
 The manners make the man; 
 At ten and forty 'tis the same, — 
 
 The manner tells the tale, 
 And I discern the gentleman 
 
 By signs that never fail. 
 
 24 IDLENESS 
 
 If you are idle, you are on the road to ruin, and 
 there are few stopping places upon it. — H. W. Beecher 
 
 Birthday: Henry Ward Beecher, a noted American 
 preacher, lecturer and writer, born in Litchfield, Conn., 
 June 24, 1813; died in Brooklyn, N. Y., March 8, 1887. 
 (Son of Dr. Lyman Beecher and a brother of Harriet 
 Beecher Stowe.) 
 
 25 DUTY 
 
 Do whate'er you have to do 
 
 With a true and earnest zeal; 
 Bend your sinews to the task; 
 
 "Put your shoulders to the wheel." 
 
232 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 THE DESERTED CHICKS 
 
 BY WILLIAM NORMS BURR 
 
 There were six coops out in the chicken yard, each with 
 a clucking mother hen inside, caring for her brood of chicks 
 in mother-hen fashion. 
 
 Frank's father had given him the little Brown Leghorn 
 family to care for. He was to give them their cornmeal at 
 certain times every day and keep water in the pan, and 
 once in a while let them out for a stroll over the little 
 grass plot, where they could pick the green food that all 
 chickens enjoy for a " relish.' ' 
 
 One morning Frank's father came in with a very sober 
 look on his face. 
 
 "Frank," said he, "how would you like to have father 
 and mother go off to Los Angeles or somewhere to live 
 and leave you here to take care of yourself ? ' ' 
 
 "Who'd get dinner, and — and — who'd drive the big 
 grays?" asked Frank. 
 
 "Oh, I don't know," replied his father. "You would 
 have to get your own dinner, I suppose, and just take care 
 of yourself somehow. ' ' 
 
 "You — you're not going to do it, are you?" A lump 
 had come into Frank's throat and it was not easy for him 
 to talk. 
 
 "Don't you think it might help you to remember to do 
 all your little chores?" asked Frank's father. "Who for- 
 got last night to see that the brown hen and her chicks 
 were snug?" 
 
 Frank hung his head and looked hard at the floor. 
 
 "I was playing with Eddie Ferris and — I guess I for- 
 got," he said; and the lump almost choked him. 
 
 "And because Frank 'forgot,' the brown mother hen 
 took the opportunity to go somewhere else to spend the 
 night and left her chicks to take care of themselves; and 
 the chicks are such tender little things that— well, they 
 
JUNE 233 
 
 must have caught cold and some of them must have died. ' ' 
 
 "Did any of them die?" asked Frank. 
 
 "No," said his father, and there was a faint little twinkle 
 in his eyes. "I happened to go through the chicken yard 
 last night after dark and I discovered that the brown hen 
 had deserted her brood, and what do you think I did for 
 them?" 
 
 "I guess you hunted up their mother and told her she 
 ought to stay at home with her children," answered Frank. 
 
 "No, it was too late then to be hunting up a runaway 
 hen," smiled Frank's father, "so I got an old feather 
 duster that is in pretty good condition yet, but has been 
 used in the buggy shed and is not very clean, and I un- 
 screwed the handle and gave those poor little deserted 
 chicks that duster as a substitute for their mother. And 
 they got through the night very comfortably, cuddled under 
 the feathers of that duster. But they might have had 
 their mother, who is their natural protector, if Frank had 
 not forgotten to see if they were all right, at least by sun- 
 down. ' ' 
 
 "I don't want you and mother to go off to Los Angeles 
 and leave me here," whispered Frank, and the lump came 
 into his throat again. ' ' There wouldn 't be any one around 
 to 'feather-duster' me." 
 
 "All right, my boy," said his father, heartily. "You'll 
 not forget your chicks again, will you?" 
 
 "I'll try hard not to," promised Frank. 
 
 — Sunday School Times 
 
 26 NATURE 
 
 Open the door, let in the air; 
 
 The winds are sweet and the flowers are fair. 
 
 GREEN THINGS GROWING 
 
 BY DINAH MULOCK CRAIK 
 
 O the green things growing, the green things growing, 
 The faint sweet smell of the green things growing ! 
 
234 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 I should like to live, whether I smile or grieve, 
 
 Just to watch the happy life of my green things growing. 
 
 the fluttering and the pattering of those green things 
 
 growing ! 
 How they talk each to each, when none of us are knowing ; 
 In the wonderful light of the weird moonlight 
 Or the dim, dreamy dawn when the cocks are crowing. 
 
 1 love, I love them so — my green things growing ! 
 And I think that they love me, without false showing ; 
 For by many a tender touch, they comfort me so much, 
 With the soft mute comfort of green things growing. 
 
 27 FORBEARANCE 
 
 Lift up your burden; it is God's gift, therefore bear 
 it nobly. — Helen Keller 
 
 A JUNE MORNING LESSON 
 
 BY JULIA M. DANA 
 
 Twice one are two 
 Prairie roses, brushing through 
 My window, all cool with dew. 
 Twice one are two. 
 
 Twice two are four 
 Bees a humming round the door- 
 Calling others by the score. 
 Twice two are four. 
 
 Twice three are six 
 Pansy beds their colors mix; 
 See the mother hen and chicks — 
 Twice three are six. 
 
JUNE 235 
 
 Twice four are eight; 
 Gorgeous butterflies elate, 
 Dancing, poising, delicate, 
 Twice four are eight. 
 
 Twice five are ten 
 Sweetest strains from yonder glen, 
 Echoed o 'er and o 'er again, 
 Twice five are ten. 
 
 Twice six are twelve 
 Merry maidens of the year — 
 Some in snowy gowns appear, 
 Some in gold and silver sheer, 
 Yet the fairest is, I ween, 
 Dainty June in pink and green. 
 
 Read: Helen Keller's Story of My Life. 
 
 Sing: "Summer Time," from Merry Melodies; "The 
 Summer Time/' from Kellogg 's Best Primary Songs. 
 
 Birthday: Helen A. Keller, an American author, born 
 at Tuscumbia, Ala., June 27, 1880; lives in Wrentham, 
 Mass. Though deaf, dumb and blind from illness in in- 
 fancy, she was enabled to study through the efforts of her 
 teacher, Miss Anne M. Sullivan, and was graduated at 
 Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Mass., in 1904. 
 
 28 HAPPINESS 
 
 Learn something beautiful, see something beautiful, 
 do something beautiful each day of your life. 
 — Alice Freeman Palmer's "Three Rules of Happiness" 
 
 Sing: "June," from Hanson's Gems of Song. 
 
 Birthday: Jean Jacques Rousseau, a French author, 
 born in Geneva, Switzerland, June 28, 1712 ; died in Paris, 
 France, July 2, 1778. 
 
236 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 29 GRADUATION 
 
 And what is so rare as a day in June? 
 
 Then, if ever, come perfect days; 
 Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune, 
 
 And over it softly her warm ear lays. 
 
 — Lowell 
 
 GRADUATION'S PROMISE 
 
 BY SALENA SHEETS MARTIN 
 
 'And once again life opens wide the door 
 Through which shall pass ambition, youth and hope, 
 Into that harsher world, but little tried, 
 Where eager faith its tasks would meet and cope, 
 The tasks that stagger oft when youth seems far 
 From that fond hope that fastened to the star. 
 
 How fine a thing it is — this hope of youth, 
 Which bears the faithful heart that gives it room 
 Above all trivial things of time and place 
 On pinions to a sure success — not doom ; 
 That sees no failures in the coming years 
 Whose eager feet press on — they know no fears. 
 
 The June time brings these fruitful days of life, 
 Repeating for each one the promise o'er, 
 Of rich fulfillment — harvests in the years, 
 The fields of time, in which our visions soar ; 
 With roses to bloom and thorns but few, 
 May every worthy dream of youth come true. 
 
 And may no idle dreams usurp the mind, 
 No selfish visions stretch adown the years, 
 No loitering by waysides, seeming joy 
 To end in grief and penitential tears ; 
 But on life's journey all along the way 
 Look Heavenward and for its guidance pray. 
 
JUNE 237 
 
 Sing: "Glad Vacation/ ' from Hanson's Silvery Notes. 
 
 Birthdays: Peter Paul Rubens, a famous Flemish 
 painter, born at Siegen, Germany, June 29, 1577; died at 
 Antwerp, Belgium, May 30, 1640. 
 
 John Quincy Adams Ward, an American sculptor, born 
 in Urbana, Ohio, June 29, 1830; died in New York City, 
 May 1, 1910. 
 
 Celia Thaxter, an American writer, born in Ports- 
 mouth, N. H., June 29, 1836 ; died August 27, 1894. 
 
 John Bach MacMaster, an American historian, born in 
 Brooklyn, N. Y., June 29, 1852. 
 
 30 VACATION 
 
 "Vacation is the time for fun!" 
 All girls and boys are saying 
 When schools and books grow wearisome, 
 And hearts are ripe for playing. 
 
 — Mary D. Brine 
 
 VACATION-TIME 
 
 All the world is set to rhyme 
 Now it is vacation-time, 
 And a swelling flood of joy 
 Brims the heart of every boy. 
 No more rote and no more rule, 
 No more staying after school 
 When the dreamy brain forgets 
 Tiresome tasks the master sets ; 
 Nothing but to play and play 
 Through an endless holiday. 
 
 Morn or afternoon, may all 
 Swing the bat and catch the ball ; 
 Nimble-footed, race and run 
 Through the meadows in the sun, 
 Chasing winged scraps of light, 
 
238 MORNING EXERCISES FOR ALL THE YEAR 
 
 Butterflies in darting flight; 
 Or where willows lean and look 
 Down at others in the brook, 
 Frolic loud the stream within, 
 Every arm a splashing fin. 
 
 Where the thorny thickets bar, 
 There the sweetest berries are ; 
 Where the shady banks make dim 
 Pebbly pools, shy trout swim ; 
 Where the boughs are mossiest, 
 Builds the humming-bird a nest ; — 
 There are haunts the rover seeks, 
 Touch of tan upon his cheeks, 
 And within his heart the joy 
 Known to no one but a boy. 
 
 All the world is set to rhyme 
 Now it is vacation-time. 
 
 — From "Book of Rhyme" 
 
 Sing: "Vacation's Coming" and "Vacation Song," 
 from School Song Knapsack. 
 
INDEX 
 
 A cheerful temper, 165 
 
 A glad New Tear, 104 
 
 A great nation is made, 17 
 
 A gush of bird song, 180 
 
 A man of words, 143 
 
 A sense of an earnest will, 227 
 
 A soft answer, 176 
 
 A thing is worth, 131 
 
 A traveler through a dusty road, 123 
 
 A very little seed, 161 
 
 Abbey, Edwin Austin, 174 
 
 Abbott, Lyman, 93 
 
 Abide with Me, 98 
 
 Abraham Lincoln, 139 
 
 Abraham Lincoln and His Mother, 
 
 218 
 Abt, Franz, 95 
 Accomplishment, 99 
 Achievement, 158, 200 
 Adams, John, 56 
 Adams, John Quincy, 153 
 Adams, Samuel, 27 
 Adams, Sarah Fowler, 147 
 Adams, William Taylor, 168 
 Addison, Joseph, 165, 196, 202, 211 
 Ade, George, 132 
 
 Advice of Robby Burns' Father, 120 
 Aeroplane, The, 184 
 Aesop, 39, 85 
 Agassiz, Louis J. R., 214 
 Aim, 166 
 Aim well! 166 
 Alcott, Louisa May, 79 
 Aldrich, Thomas Bailey, 67 
 Alger, Horatio, 112, 113 
 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 
 
 113 
 All Fools' Day, 173, 174 
 All habits gather, 16 
 All-Hallow-Even, 57 
 All the world, 237 
 Allingham, William, 57 
 Allison, Joy, 88 
 
 Always vote for a principle, 153 
 Ambition, 64, 178 
 America, 31, 47, 74, 111, 139, 153, 
 
 216 
 America's Debt to Lafayette, 14 
 American in Europe, An, Van Dyke, 
 
 224 
 Amiability, 88 
 Amy Stewart, 169 
 Ancient Mariner, Coleridge, 142 
 And once again, 236 
 And we, to-day, 78 
 And what is so rare, 236 
 
 Andersen, Hans Christian, 174, 175 
 
 Andre, Major John, 32 
 
 Androclus and the Lion, 25 
 
 Angel, Andersen, 210 
 
 Angel of Peace, Holmes, 209 
 
 Angelo, Michael, 156 
 
 Anger, 165 
 
 Ant and the Cricket, The, 56 
 
 Antics in the Bird Room, 198 
 
 Anxious Leaf, The, 15 
 
 April! April! Are You Here, 174 
 
 April Morning, An, 180 
 
 Arbor Day, 186, 193 
 
 Arbor Day in Alabama, 147 
 
 Arbor Day in Arizona, 128 
 
 Arbor Day in Arkansas, 91 
 
 Arbor Day in California 157 
 
 Arbor Day in Connecticut, 193 
 
 Arbor Day in Florida, 106 
 
 Arbor Day in Georgia,81 
 
 Arbor Day in Illinois, 186 
 
 Arbor Day in Indiana, 55 
 
 Arbor Day in Kentucky, 176 
 
 Arbor Day in Louisiana, 132 
 
 Arbor Day in Maine, 197 
 
 Arbor Day in Maryland, 176 
 
 Arbor Day in Massachusetts, 193 
 
 Arbor Day in Michigan, 193 
 
 Arbor Day in Minnesota, 193 
 
 Arbor Day in Mississippi, 88 
 
 Arbor Day in Mibsouri, 176 
 
 Arbor Day in Montana, 201 
 
 Arbor Day in Nebraska, 189 
 
 Arbor Day in New Jersey, 189 
 
 Arbor Day in New Mexico, 161 
 
 Arbor Day in New York, 197 
 
 Arbor Day in North Dakota, 197 
 
 Arbor Day in Ohio, 183 
 
 Arbor Day in Oklahoma, 158 
 
 Arbor Day in Rhode Island, 205 
 
 Arbor Day in South Carolina, 75 
 
 Arbor Day in Texas, 147 
 
 Arbor Day in Utah, 183 
 
 Arbor Day in Vermont, 193 
 
 Arbor Day in West Virginia, 75 
 
 Ariosto, Ludovico, 15 
 
 Armond, Lizzie D., 167 
 
 Arnold, Benedict, 104, 105 
 
 Arnold, Matthew, 96 
 
 Arthur, Chester A., 34 
 
 Association, 220 
 
 Audubon, John James, 197, 198 
 
 Auld Lang Syne 33, 120 
 
 Austin, Alfred, 216 
 
 Away with Meloncholy, 49 
 
 Ax Grinding, Franklin, 179 
 
240 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Bacon, Francis, 118, 119, 157 
 
 Bad Company, 128 
 
 Bailey, P. J., 208 
 
 Balzac, Honore de, 207 
 
 Bancroft, George, 32, 33 
 
 Bangs, John Kendrick, 214 
 
 Barbara Frietchie, Whittier, 107, 224 
 
 Barefoot Boy, The, Whittier, 107 
 
 Barrie, James Matthew, 202 
 
 Bartholdi, Frederic A., 175 
 
 Barton, Clara, 52, 97, 206 
 
 Barye, Antoine Louis, 25 
 
 Battle Hymn of the Republic, 216 
 
 Battle of Bunker Hill, 228 
 
 Battle of New Orleans, 108 
 
 Battle Prayer, The, 190 
 
 Be a Man! 199 
 
 Be Careful What You Sow, 17 
 
 Be just and fear not, 71 
 
 Be kind and gentle, 122 
 
 Be noble! and the nobleness, 113 
 
 Be still, sad heart! 90 
 
 Beauregard, Pierre G. T., 166 
 
 Beautiful faces are those, 49 
 
 Beautiful Things, 49 
 
 Beauty, 212 
 
 Beaver Story, The, 56 
 
 Beck, M. W., 14 
 
 Beecher, Henry Ward, 111, 113, 231 
 
 Beecher, Dr. Lyman, 178 
 
 Beethoven, Ludwig Von, 91, 92 
 
 Bell, Alexander Graham, 152, 153 
 
 Bell of Atri, The, 71 
 
 Benefactor of Mankind, A, 208 
 
 Benjamin Franklin, Higginson, 114 
 
 Bennett, Henry H., 63 
 
 Bernard of Tuileries, Marden, 129 
 
 Bernhardt, Sarah, 49 
 
 Bessemer, Sir Henry, 117 
 
 Bessie's Garden, Whittier, 44 
 
 Best Christmas Book, The, Sindelar, 
 
 95 
 Betsy Ross, 225 
 Better than grandeur, 161 
 Better to strive and climb, 178 
 Beware of little extravagances, 229 
 Bigelow, John, 77 
 Billings, Josh, 31, 79 
 Bird Day, 186, 187, 188 
 Bird with a Broken Wing, The, 25 
 Birds of a feather, 128 
 Birds of Killingsworth, The, 198 
 Bismark-Schonhausen, Prince Otto 
 
 E. L., 174 
 BjOrnson, Bjornstjerne, 87 
 Blackmore, Richard, 220 
 Blackstone, Sir William, 140 
 Blaine, James G., 126 
 Blashfield, Edwin H., 97 
 Blucher at Waterloo, 115 
 Blue and the Gray, The, Finch, 216, 
 
 222 
 Blue and the Gray Together, The, 
 
 216 
 Bluebird, The, 188 
 Boat Song, 148 
 
 Bob White, 188 
 
 Bonaparte, Napoleon, 44, 199 
 
 Bonar, Horatius, 51, 211 
 
 Bonheur, Rosa, 165 
 
 Book, The, Forman, 126 
 
 Books, 154, 228 
 
 Books are men, 154 
 
 Books are yours, 178 
 
 Boone, Daniel, 134 
 
 Booth, Edwin Thomas, 68 
 
 Booth, John Wilkes, 69 
 
 Boughton, George H., 117 
 
 Boy Who Became Famous, A, 121 
 
 Boy Who Recommended Himself, 
 The, 27 
 
 Boy Who Said "I Must," Marden, 
 22 
 
 Boy Who Wanted to Learn, The, 185 
 
 Boyhood of John Greenleaf Whit- 
 tier, The, 92 
 
 Boyhood of Washington, The, 146 
 
 Boys flying kites, 48 
 
 Bradford, William, 202 
 
 Bradstreet, Anne, 20 
 
 Brahms, Johannes, 200 
 
 Breton, Jules A., 196 
 
 Brewster, Sir David, 89 
 
 Brine, Mary D., 237 
 
 Brooks, Elbridge S., 183 
 
 Brooks, Phillips, 89, 90 
 
 Brown, Abbie Farwell, 154 
 
 Brown, Isabel Yeomans, 125 
 
 Brown, John, 202, 205 
 
 Browne, Charles F., 190 
 
 Brownies, The, 58 
 
 Browning, Elizabeth Barrett, 154, 
 156 
 
 Browning, Robert, 199 
 
 Bryan, William J., 162 
 
 Bryant, William Cullen, 60, 61, 150, 
 186 
 
 Bryce, James, 203 
 
 Buchanan, James, 188 
 
 Bugle Song, The, 35 
 
 Builders, 55 
 
 Bull, Ole Borneman, 129 
 
 Bulwer-Lytton, Edward G. E., 212 
 
 Bunker Hill Oration, Webster, 115, 
 216 
 
 Burbank, Luther, 156, 157 
 
 Burbank Day, 156 
 
 Burden and Labor, Longfellow, 10 
 
 Burke, Edmund, 103 
 
 Burnett, Frances Hodgson, 76 
 
 Burns, Robert, 12, 82, 120 
 
 Burr, William N., 232 
 
 Burroughs, John, 176 
 
 Burton, R., 128 
 
 But whatever you are, be true, 81 
 
 Buttercups and Daisies, 210 
 
 Butterworth, Hezekiah, 62, 95 
 
 By adversity are wrought, 230 
 
 Byron, George Gordon (Lord), 119 
 
 Calhoun, John C, 162 
 California's Orange Day, 164 
 
INDEX 
 
 241 
 
 Can you put the spider's web, 183 
 
 Canova, Antonio, 59 
 
 Captain Nathan Hale, 219 
 
 Careful Observer, The, 72 
 
 Carleton, Will, 48 
 
 Carlyle, Thomas, S3, 131 
 
 Carnegie, Andrew, 76, 77 
 
 Carroll, Lewis, 113 
 
 Carter, 11 
 
 Caruso, Enrico, 164 
 
 Carving a Name, Alger, 112 
 
 Cawein, Madison, 177 
 
 Cary, Alice, 59, 82, 161, 190 
 
 Cary, Phoebe, 12, 13, 18, 141, 190, 
 
 213 
 Casabianca, 44 
 Champlain, Samuel D., 97 
 Character, 26, 111, 123, 159, 162, 190, 
 
 210 
 Character is what God, 123 
 Character, like porcelain, 111 
 Character of Washington, 146 
 Charity, 14, 27 
 Chaucer, Geoffrey, 51 
 Cheerfulness, 90, 108, 200 
 Chesterfield, Lord, 127 
 Child's Garden of Verses, A, 68 
 Children's Poet, The, 10 
 Chinese New Year's in California, A, 
 
 103 
 Chopin, Frederic Francois, 151 
 Christmas, 95, 96 
 Christmas Carol, A, Dickens, 131 
 Christmas Carol, A, Lowell, 96 
 Christmas Chimes, Blashfleld, 97 
 Christmas Everywhere, Brooks, 95 
 Christmas Like It Used to Be, Wa- 
 terman, 95 
 
 Christmas Songs, 95 
 
 Churchill, Winston, 66 
 
 Civic Duty, 62 
 
 Clacker, The, 188 
 
 Clay, Henry, 181, 184 
 
 Clean Hands, 157 
 
 Cleanliness, 157, 211 
 
 Cleanliness of body, 157 
 
 Cleanliness may be defined, 211 
 
 Clemens, Samuel Langhorne, 80 
 
 Cleveland, Grover, 162 
 
 Coffin, Nathan, 189 
 
 Coleridge, Samuel, 48, 64, 142 
 
 Colton, 72 
 
 Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean, 
 216, 225 
 
 Columbus, Christopher, 40 
 
 Columbus, Lowell, 40 
 
 Columbus, Joaquin Miller, 40 
 
 Columbus Day, 39 
 
 Come, Come, Come, 126 
 
 Come with Thy Lute, 37 
 
 Company, 128 
 
 Congreve, 120 
 
 Conscience, 10 
 
 Contentment, 17, 92 
 
 Cook, Eliza, 24, 25 
 
 Cook, James, 54 
 
 Coolidge, Susan, 103 
 
 Cooper, George, 128 
 
 Cooper, J. Fenimore, 19, 20 
 
 Cooper's Literary Life, 19 
 
 Copeland, Fannie F., 156 
 
 Copernicus, Nikolaus, 143 
 
 Cornelia's Jewels, 17 
 
 Corot, Jean Baptiste C, 146 
 
 Correggio, Antonio Allegri, 154 
 
 Cortes, Hernando, 82 
 
 Cotton-Gin, The, 86 
 
 Country Mouse and the Town 
 
 Mouse, The, 17 
 Courage, 19, 87, 130 
 Courtesy, 129, 184 
 Cover Them Over, Carleton, 216 
 Cow His Capital, A, Marden, 181 
 Cowper, William, 45, 7S 
 Craik, Dinah Maria Mulock, 40, 233 
 Crimean War, 205, 206 
 Crow and the Pitcher, The, 5 4 
 Crow Calculations, 188 
 Cruel Boy Almost Sure to Make a 
 
 Cruel Man, A, 104 
 Cummins, Maria Susanna, 180 
 Curie, Pierre, 199 
 Custer, George A., 84 
 
 Daisies in the Meadow, 210 
 
 Daisy Nurses, 210 
 
 Damon and Pythias, 32, 143 
 
 Dana, Julia M., 234 
 
 Dandelion, To a, Lowell, 210 
 
 Dante, 206 
 
 Dare to be true, 70 
 
 Darling, Grace, 75, 76 
 
 Darius Green and His Flying Ma- 
 chine, 185 
 
 Darwin, Charles R., 139 
 
 David Copperfield, Dickens, 131 
 
 Davis, Jefferson, 218 
 
 Davis, Richard Harding, 185 
 
 Davy, Sir Humphry, 92 
 
 Dawn of Peace, The, 209 
 
 Dawning Day, A, Carlyle, 131 
 
 Day, Richards, 41 
 
 Day, The (St. Valentine's), 140 
 
 Day and Night, 185 
 
 Day of Planting, The, 186 
 
 Days, Emerson, 61, 212 
 
 Dear Common Flower, 210 
 
 Declaration of Independence, The, 
 111 
 
 Deeds, 143, 208 
 
 Deerslayer, The, Cooper, 20 
 
 Defoe, Daniel, 189 
 
 Desert, The, Richards, 90, 201 
 
 Deserted Chicks, The, Burr, 232 
 
 Deserted Village, The, Goldsmith. 
 189 
 
 Destiny, 162 
 
 Devotion, 142 
 
 Devotion to Duty, 44 
 
 Dewey, George, 98 
 
 Diamond or a Coal, A, Ross«tti, 10* 
 
 Dickens, Charles, 13», 131 
 
242 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Dickens in Camp, Bret Harte, 131 
 Dickinson, Anna Elizabeth, 55 
 Diff'ent Kind o' Bundles, Slosson, 
 
 160 
 Dinner of Tongues, A, 85 
 Discontented Pendulum, The, 183 
 Discontented Pine Tree, The, 17 
 Discovery Day, 39 
 Disraeli, Benjamin, 94 
 Do not cry and weep, 41 
 Do not look for wrong', 161 
 Do something, 98 
 Do what conscience says, 38 
 Do whatever you have, 231 
 Do you wish the world, 93 
 Do Tour Best, 176 
 Doctor Goldsmith, 60 
 Doing Good, 211 
 Donizetti, Gaetano, 26 
 Don't Give Up, Cary, 64, 141, 190 
 "Don't Give Up the Ship!" 31 
 Don't slight a boy, 93 
 Don't Talk When You've Nothing 
 
 to Say, 46 
 Douglas, Stephen A., 188 
 Dove and the Woodpecker, The, 15 
 Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, 211 
 Drum and the Vase of Sweet Herbs, 
 
 The, 39 
 Dryden, John, 195 
 Duel, The, Field, 11 
 Dunbar, Paul Laurence, 132 
 Dupre, Jules, 177 
 Diirer, Albert, 210 
 Duty, 29, 44, 154, 199, 210, 220, 231 
 Duty and Inclination, 19, 154 
 Dvorak, Antonin, 15 
 
 Each and All, Emerson, 212 
 
 Easter, 166, 167 
 
 Echo, The, 69 
 
 Economy, 168 
 
 Eddy, Mary Baker Glover, 83 
 
 Edison, Thomas A., 133, 134 
 
 Education, 116 
 
 Eggleston, Edward, 88 
 
 Eiffel, Alexander Gustave, 91 
 
 Election Day, 62 
 
 Elegy of a Country Churchyard, 
 Gray, 98 
 
 Eli Whitney and the Cotton-Gin, 86 
 
 Eliot, George, 74 
 
 Elves and the Shoemaker, The, 60 
 
 Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 210, 212, 228 
 
 Endurance is the crowning quality, 
 39 
 
 Ericcson, John, 158 
 
 Errors, 196 
 
 Errors, like straws, 196 
 
 Ethan Allen, 110 
 
 Ethan Allen and the Green Moun- 
 tain Boys, 109 
 
 Evans, Mary Ann, 74 
 
 Evening Prayer, 185 
 
 Every day is a fresh beginning, 103 
 
 Every gentle word you say, 152 
 
 Every joy that heart can hold, 140 
 Every man must educate, 116 
 Everything comes to him, 141 
 Evil Speaking, 48 
 Ewing, Jeannie P., 213 
 Excelsior, Longfellow, 149 
 Experience, 118, 168 
 Extravagance, 229 
 
 Fair-Mindedness, 161 
 
 Fairy in the Mirror, 166 
 
 Fairy Who Judged Her Neighbors, 
 
 the, Ingelow, 85 
 Faith, 182 
 
 Faithful Little Hollander, The, 29 
 Faithful to Trust, 104 
 Faithfulness, 79 
 Fame, 172 
 
 Fame is what you have taken, 172 
 Fantail Pigeon, The, 46 
 Farmer and His Sons, The, 66 
 Farragut's Resolution, 229 
 Farrar, 117 
 
 Festival of the Trees, The, 186 
 Fidelity in Duty, 29 
 Field, Cyrus W., 80 
 Field, Eugene, 10, 11, 203 
 Fillmore, Millard, 108 
 Finch, Francis Miles, 222 
 Findelkind, De la Ramee, 30 
 Finley, Martha, 190 
 First-day Thoughts, 167 
 First Flag, The, 146, 225 
 "First in war, first in peace," 123 
 First Printer, The, Baldwin, 126 
 First Thanksgiving, The, 78 
 Fiske, John, 171, 172 
 Fitch, William Clyde, 196 
 Five Peas in a Pod, Andersen, 175 
 Flag Day, 224, 225 
 Flag Goes By, The, Bennett, 63, 224 
 Flag of Our Union, Forever! 110, 
 
 152 
 Flag of the Free, 225 
 Flag of the Stars I Love, 225 
 Flag Salute, 234 
 Flammarion, Camille, 149 
 Flatterers and Slanderers, 81 
 Flattery, 81, 179 
 
 Flattery like a painted armor, 81 
 Florence Nightingale, 205, 206 
 Flow Gently, Sweet Afton, 53 
 Flower Day, 157, 210 
 Flowers are cousins, 15 6 
 Flowers' Drink, The, 39 
 Follow Me, Full of Glee, 84 
 For a' That, Burns, 12, 120 
 For praise too dearly loved, 66 
 For the dead, 215 
 For the Little Boy Who Will Not 
 
 Say Please, 129 
 Forbearance, 196, 234 
 Forbearance, Emerson, 212 
 Forest Hymn, A, Bryant, 186 
 Forget-Me-Not, 210 
 Forgiveness, 67, 117, 217 
 
INDEX 
 
 243 
 
 Forming of Habits, The, 16 
 Foster, Stephen C, 112 
 Fountain, The, 55, 83 
 Franklin, Benjamin, 67, 114, 115, 
 
 144, 179, 229 
 Freedom, 174 
 Fremont, John C, 118 
 French, Daniel C, 187 
 Freneau, Philip, 146 
 Friendship, 32, 79 
 Friendship, Emerson, 212 
 Friends, 141 
 Froebel, Friedrich, 187 
 From a little spark, 206 
 From our ancestors, 213 
 Full many a gem, 98 
 Fulton, Robert, 148 
 Furl the banner, 216 
 
 Galileo, 141 
 
 Gall, Franz Joseph, 158 
 
 Garden Farm, Richards, 210 
 
 Garfield, James A., 72, 73, 131 
 
 Garland, Hamlin, 20 
 
 Garrick, David, 144 
 
 Gatling, Richard J., 18 
 
 Gay, 141 
 
 General's Easter Box, The, 167 
 
 Generous Forbearance, 196 
 
 Gentleman, A, 230 
 
 Gentleness, 230 
 
 George Washington and His Hatchet, 
 
 22 
 Gettysburg Address, The, Lincoln, 
 
 138, 216 
 Gibson, Charles Dana, 19 
 Gibson, "William Hamilton, 35 
 Gilder, Richard Watson, 131 
 Gilpin, 196 
 
 Girl in the Brook, The, 18 
 Glad Vacation, 237 
 God be thanked, 51 
 God sent his singers, 197 
 God's Care, 182 
 Goethe, Johann W. von, 165 
 Goldsmith, Oliver, 66, 109, 189 
 Gonard and the Pine Tree, 178 
 Good Advice, 68 
 Good and Bad Apples, 128 
 Good Bishop, The, 149 
 Good boys and girls, 39 
 Good Deeds, 36, 88, 199 
 Good Manners, 39 
 
 Good manners cannot be put on, 192 
 Good morning, sweet April, 174 
 Good Name, A, 142 
 Good Name, The Value of a, 101 
 Goodness, 132, 206, 218 
 Gounod, Charles Francois, 228 
 Grace Darling, 75, 76 
 Grace Darling, Wordsworth, 76 
 Graduation, 236 
 
 Graduation's Promise, Martin, 236 
 Grant, Ulysses S., 22, 191, 192 
 Graphophone, The, 190 
 Grateful Foxes, The, 122 
 
 Great captains, with their guns, 134 
 Great Stone Face, The, Hawthorne, 
 
 210 
 Great works are performed, 21 
 Greatness, 176, 206, 217 
 Greeley, Horace, 28 
 Green, John R., 89 
 Green Things Growing, Craik, 233 
 Greene, Nathanael, 214 
 Growing, 178 
 
 Habit, 16, 113 
 
 Habits, 15, 16 
 
 Haeckel, Ernst H, 142 
 
 Hagenbeck, Karl, 222 
 
 Hague Peace Conference, The, 208 
 
 Hail! Columbia, 14, 152 
 
 Hale, Edward Everett, 176 
 
 Hale, Nathan, 219 
 
 Hallowe'en, 57 
 
 Hamilton, Alexander, 111 
 
 Hancock, John, 111 
 
 Hancock, Winfield Scott, 141 
 
 Handsome is as handsome does, 189 
 
 "Handsomest Man I Ever Saw, The," 
 
 133 
 Hang me to the yard-arm, 189 
 Happiness, 37, 55, 68, 235 
 Happy Arbor Day, 186 
 Happy-Faced Boy, The, 171 
 Happy Farmer, The, 108 
 Happy hearts and happy faces, 68 
 Harp that Once thro* Tara's Halls, 
 
 Moore, 214 
 Harraden, Beatrice, 119 
 Harris, Joel Chandler, 87 
 Harrison, Benjamin, 160 
 Harrison, Mrs. Burton, 190 
 Harrison, V. B., 152 
 Harrison, William Henry, 132 
 Hats off! Along the street, 63 
 Have more than thou showest, 148 
 Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 210 
 Hay, John, 37 
 Haydn, Joseph, 172 
 Hayes, Rutherford B., 34 
 He Aimed High and Hit the Mark, 
 
 Marden, 18 
 "He Belongs to the Ages," 140 
 He is not only idle, 105 
 He liveth long, 211 
 He prayeth well, 142 
 He that cannot forgive others, 67 
 He that cannot think, 77 
 He who has learned to obey, 43 
 He who serves his country, 73 
 He who steals my purse, 142 
 Health, 161 
 
 Health Creed, A, Ryan, 35 
 Health Day, 35 
 
 Hearts, like doors, will ope, 24 
 Heaven is not reached at a single 
 
 bound, 44 
 Help to Set the World Rejoicing, 60, 
 
 161 
 Helpfulness, 98, 176, 227 
 
244 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Hemans, Felicia D., 26, 78 
 
 Henry, Patrick, 214, 215 
 
 Henty, George Alfred, 87 
 
 Herbert, George (Lord), 67, 70 
 
 Here's to that Boy, 30 
 
 Here's to the boy, 95 
 
 Here's to the white carnation, 203 
 
 Hero of Valley Forge, A, 68 
 
 Heroine of Fort Henry, The, 224 
 
 Heroism, 31, 75, 187, 189 
 
 Heroism is simple, 31 
 
 Herrick, 86 
 
 Herschel, Sir William, 70 
 
 Ho, all who labor, 201 
 
 Holland, Josiah G., 40 
 
 Holmes, Oliver "Wendell, 35, 71, 187, 
 
 203, 209 
 Home, Richards, 91 
 Home and Parents, 88 
 Home, Sweet Home, 51, 221 
 Homer, Winslow, 148 
 Honest Woodman, The, 22, 51 
 Honesty, 51, 77, 117, 158 
 Honor, 33, 74, 160, 189, 213 
 Honor and Shame, 74 
 Hooker, Joseph, 68 
 Hoosier Schoolboy, The, 88 
 Hoosier Schoolmaster, The, 88 
 Hopkinson, Joseph, 111 
 Horace, 59 
 
 Hosmer, Harriet G., 38 
 Houston, Sam, 151, 152 
 How a President is Inaugurated, 153 
 How Abraham Lincoln Taught 
 
 Himself, 127 
 How Baby Robin Was Saved, 64 
 How doth the little busy bee, 56 
 How happy is he born, 69 
 How Happy is the Child, 44 
 How many deeds, 183 
 How Patty Gave Thanks, 78 
 How shall I a habit break? 15 
 How the Camel Got His Hump, 
 
 Kipling, 101 
 How the Date Was Set, 153 
 How the Leaves Came Down, 
 
 Coolidge, 26 
 How the Robin Got Its Red Breast, 
 
 198 
 How the Telephone Was Invented, 
 
 152 
 How Uncle Sam Observes Christ- 
 mas, 95 
 Howe, Elias, 33 
 Howe, Julia Ward, 214 
 Howe'er it be, it seems to me, 35 
 Howells, William Dean, 151 
 Hughes, Thomas, 46 
 Hugo, Victor, 149 
 Humility, 45, 66, 71, 98 
 Humphreys, 151 
 Hundreds of Stars, 73 
 Hurrah for the Flag, 225 
 Huxley, Thomas H., 198 
 Huygens, Christian, 183 
 Hydrophobia, 99 
 
 I dare do all, 30 
 
 I heard the bells, 96 
 
 I hold it truth, 34 
 
 I knew him, 230 
 
 I know blue modest violets, 213 
 
 I know not what course, 214 
 
 I know not where His islands, 158 
 
 I live for those who love me, 50 
 
 I look in the brook, 10 
 
 "I love you, mother," 88 
 
 I only regret, 219 
 
 I resolve to keep my health, 94 
 
 I shall pass this way, 196 
 
 I thank Thee, Lord, 20 
 
 I wish that friends, 218 
 
 I Will Paint or Die, Marden, 22 
 
 I will speak more kindly, 27 
 
 I will try to be kind, 25 
 
 I would rather be right, 181 
 
 I wrote my name, 112 
 
 Ibid, 129, 217 
 
 Idle Little Boy, The, 144 
 
 Idleness, 105, 230 
 
 If little labor, 86 
 
 If those who've wronged us, 41 
 
 If we do not plant knowledge, 127 
 
 If you are about to strive, 19 
 
 If you're told to do a thing, 18 
 
 If you've any task, 42 
 
 If you've tried, 141 
 
 "I'll try" is a soldier, 191 
 
 I'm strange contradictions, 228 
 
 Image and the Treasure, The, 
 
 Scudder, 101 
 Immortal Fountain, The, 207 
 In all the affairs, 184 
 In Life's Morning, 129 
 In Memoriam, Tennyson, 102 
 In the lexicon of youth, 109 
 In the Springtime, 165 
 Inauguration Day, 153, 154 
 Incident in Scott's Life, An, 23 
 Incident of the French Camp, An, 
 
 199 
 Independence, 111 
 Industry, 56, 144, 169 
 Industry and Application, 94 
 Influence of a Great Name, The, 146 
 Influence of Good Deeds and Words, 
 
 Mackay, 123 
 Inman, Henry, 46 
 Innes, George, 196 
 Irving, Sir Henry, 130 
 Irving, Washington, 39, 176 
 It is easy finding reasons, 74 
 It is hard to fail, 54 
 It is not always the coat, 160 
 It is when our budding hopes, 130 
 It's a curious house, 154 
 It's easy enough to be pleasant, 89 
 
 Jackson, A. E., 84 
 
 Jackson, Andrew, 161 
 
 Jackson, Helen Hunt, 18, 32, 44 
 Jackson, Thomas J. (Stonewall), 
 118 
 
INDEX 
 
 245 
 
 Jay, John, 89 
 
 January, 103 
 
 Jarvis, Anna, 202 
 
 Jefferson, Joseph, 145 
 
 Jefferson, Thomas, 174, 175 
 
 Jenner, Edward, 208 
 
 Jesus of Nazareth, 96 
 
 Joan of Arc, 106, 107 
 
 John Milton, the Blind Poet, 87 
 
 Johnson, Andrew, 100 
 
 Johnson, Samuel, 20, 21 
 
 Johnston, Albert Sidney, 128 
 
 Johnston, Joseph Eccleston, 128 
 
 Joliet, Louis, 23 
 
 Jolly Workers, The, 41 
 
 Jordan, David Starr, 117 
 
 Judge's Bench, The, 34 
 
 June, 235 
 
 June Morning Lesson, A, Dana, 234 
 
 Just a little every day, 13 
 
 Just a Little Mother, 203 
 
 Justice, 41, 71 
 
 Keats, John, 55 
 
 Keep a smile on your lips, 108 
 
 Keep to the Right, 207 
 
 Keeping at It, 181 
 
 Keeping Your Word, 115 
 
 Keller, Helen A., 87, 234, 235 
 
 Kepler, Johann, 99 
 
 Key, Francis Scott, 110, 111 
 
 Kind Words, 39, 158, 176, 177 
 
 Kindness, 35, 122, 171, 183, 196, 
 
 218 
 Kindness to Animals, 25 
 "Kindness Returned, 36 
 King of the Golden River, Ruskin, 
 
 131 
 King Stork, The, 92 
 King's Birthday, The, 182 
 King's Garden, The, 24 
 Kings of the Past and Present, 12 
 Kingsley, Charles, 64, 223 
 Kipling, Rudyard, 100, 101 
 Knights and the Good Child, The, 
 
 37 
 Knowledge, 127, 178 
 Knowledge is proud, 45 
 Kosciuszko, Tadensz, 139 
 
 Labor Day, 9, 10 
 
 Labor is Worship, Osgood, 9 
 
 Lafayette, Marquis de, 14, 176 
 
 Lafayette, the Boy of Versailles, 14 
 
 Laighton, Albert, 182 
 
 Lamb, Charles and Mary, 142 
 
 Landing of the Pilgrims, The, 
 
 Hemans, 78, 116 
 Landseer, Sir Edwin, 157 
 Lang, Andrew, 172 
 Larcom, Lucy, 183, 184, 186, 198 
 Lark and Her Young Ones. The. 34 
 La Salle, Robert Cavelier de, 74 
 Last of the Mohicans, The, Cooper, 
 
 20 
 Last Rose of Summer, The, Moore, 
 
 214 
 
 Laugh, and the world laughs, 55 
 
 Lawrence, James, 31 
 
 Laying of the Telegraph-Cable, 
 
 The, 79 
 Learn a Little Every Day, 18 
 Learn something beautiful, 235 
 Lee, Henry, 123 
 Lee, Richard Henry, 117 
 Lee, Robert E., 116 
 Legend Beautiful, The, Longfellow, 
 
 149 
 Lessing, Gotthold E., 119 
 Lesson in Courage and Persever- 
 ance, A, 39 
 Lesson in Obedience, A, 43 
 Lesson in Perseverance, A, 197 
 Lesson of Mercy, A, Alice Cary, 190 
 Let Fate do her worst, 214 
 Let independence be our boast, 111 
 Let Labor, then look up, 12 
 Let little hands bring, 107 
 Let's Higher Climb, 178 
 Let thy mind's sweetness, 26 
 Let us, then, be up and doing, 20 
 Lexington, Holmes, 74 
 Liberty Enlightening the World, 
 
 176 
 Library Day, 125 
 Life is Real, Life is Earnest, 34, 
 
 80, 149 
 Life is Short, 212 
 Life is too short, 212 
 Life is What We Make It, 15 
 Lift up your burden, 234 
 Lincoln, Abraham, 25, 68, 74, 127, 
 
 133, 139, 216, 218 
 Lincoln Day Entertainments, Sin- 
 
 delar, 139 
 Lincoln's Conscientiousness, 38 
 Lincoln's Kindness to Birds, 25 
 Lincoln's Sentiment and Autograph, 
 
 184 
 Lind, Jenny, 35 
 Liszt, Franz, 49 
 Little acts of kindness, 171 
 Little Bird with Eager Wing, 188 
 Little Blue Jay, 188 
 Little Boy Blue, Field, 11 
 Little builders, build away, 55 
 Little by little, 207 
 Little deeds of kindness, 218 
 Little drop of water, 84 
 Little Drummer Boy, The, 44 
 Little Girl with the Light, The, 207 
 Little Girl's Ideal Party, A, Brown, 
 
 125 
 Little Ida's Flowers, Andersen, 210 
 Little minds are tamed, 176 
 Little moments make, 206 
 Little Rooster, The, 26 
 Little Scotch Granite, 71 
 Little Things, 206 
 Little Things, Brewer, 84 
 Lodge, Henry Cabot, 206 
 London. Jack, 111 
 Long Weary Day, The, 206 
 
246 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Longfellow, Henry W., 22, 90, 96, 
 
 103, 134, 149, 180, 197, 206 
 Longfellow and the Children, 149 
 Longfellow's Birthday, 149 
 Longstreet, James, 108 
 Look up and not down, 176 
 Looks, Words and Deeds, 25 
 Lord My Shepherd Is, The, 118, 143 
 Lost, somewhere, 148 
 Louisa Alcott Reader, 79 
 Love, 219 
 
 Love and Truth, 119 
 Love Your Enemies, 117 
 Loveliest of lovely things, 60 
 Lowell, James Russell, 39, 40, 70, 
 
 96, 113, 123, 134, 147, 210, 236 
 Loyalty, 106, 109 
 Loyalty to Our Country, 62 
 Luther, Martin, 66 
 Lytton, 109 
 
 Mabie, Hamilton Wright, 95 
 
 Macadam, John Loudon, 23 
 
 Macaulay, Thomas B., 51 
 
 MacDonald, George, 117 
 
 Mackay, Charles, 12, 81, 123 
 
 Mac Master, John Bach, 237 
 
 Madison, James, 161 
 
 Magnet's Choice, The, Howliston, 83 
 
 Making the Best of It, 201 
 
 Man with the Hoe, The, Markham, 
 
 10 
 Man without a Country, Hale, 176 
 Mann, Horace, 123, 148, 198 
 Manners, 93, 230 
 Many strokes though with a little 
 
 ax, 119 
 March, 151 
 March is merry, 164 
 Marconi, Guglielmo, 190 
 Marion, Francis, 150 
 Marion the Swamp Fox, 150 
 Markham, Edwin, 26, 188 
 Marshall, John, 26 
 Martin, Salena Sheets, 236 
 Mather, Cotton, 139 
 Matthews (James) Bradner, 145 
 May, 195 
 May-Day, 195 
 May-Day in England, 195 
 May-Day Song, 195 
 May Queen, The, Tennyson, 195 
 McClellan, George B., 83 
 McCormick, Cyrus Hall, 141 
 McKinley, William, 123 
 Mead, Larkin Goldsmith, 105 
 Meade, George Gordon, 101 
 Memorial Day, 215, 216 
 Memorial of Alice and Phoebe Cary, 
 
 Clemmens, 13 
 Memory, 214 
 Men and Things, 90 
 Men Who Have Risen, Mabie, 134 
 Mercy, 205 
 Meredith, George, 139 
 Meredith, Owen, 51 
 
 Merrily, Merrily Sing, 87 
 
 Merrimack, The, 158 
 
 Merritt, Wesley, 227 
 
 Merry Children, The, 201 
 
 Merry Springtime, 194 
 
 Message of Peace, The, 209 
 
 Michael Angelo, 156 
 
 Miles Standish, 33 
 
 Millais, Sir John Everett, 220 
 
 Miller, Emily Huntington, 203 
 
 Miller, Mrs. E. R., 43, 49, 168 
 
 Mi41er, Joaquin, 66, 209 
 
 Miller of the Dee, The, 90, 37 
 
 Millet, Jean Francois, 33 
 
 Mills, Clarke, 81 
 
 Milnes, Richard M., 229 
 
 Milton, John, 87, 208 
 
 Minstrel Boy, The, Moore, 214 
 
 Minute Man of Concord, 187 
 
 Miraculous Pitcher, The, Haw- 
 thorne, 210 
 
 Monitor, The, 158 
 
 Monroe, Harriet, 96 
 
 Monroe, James, 193 
 
 Monroe Doctrine, The, 192 
 
 Montgomery, James, 61, 203 
 
 Montgomery, Richard, 82 
 
 Moody, Dwight Lyman, 129 
 
 Moore, Thomas, 214 
 
 More, Hannah, 228 
 
 More are drowned in the bowl, 29 
 
 More Precious Than Rubies, 177 
 
 Morning Song, 26, 66 
 
 Morris, George O., 3o 
 
 Morris, Robert, 117 
 
 Morris, William, 166 
 
 Morse, Samuel F. B., 191 
 
 Mortals that would follow me, 87 
 
 Mother, 73 
 
 Mother, Abraham Lincoln and His, 
 218 
 
 Mother Love, 203 
 
 Mother's Day, 202, 203 
 
 Mother's Love, 203 
 
 Mother's Secret, A, Holmes, 203 
 
 Mount Vernon Bells, 146 
 
 Mountain and the Squirrel, The, 
 Emerson, 212 
 
 Mozart, Wolfgang A., 121, 122 
 
 Mulock, Miss, 40 
 
 Munkacsy, Mihaly, 38 
 
 Murillo, Bartolme Esteban, 176 
 
 Music, 120 
 
 Music Everywhere, 90 
 
 Music hath charms, 120 
 
 Music in All Things, 47 
 
 My Book is a House, Brown, 154 
 
 My boy, I'd give the world, 83 
 
 My captain does not answer, 139 
 
 My Country, 176 
 
 My Good-for-Nothing, Miller, 203 
 
 My idea is this; ever onward, 149 
 
 My Mother, 203 
 
 My Old Kentucky Home, 113 
 
 My son, observe the postage stamp! 
 79 
 
INDEX 
 
 247 
 
 Napoleon Bonaparte, 44, 199 
 
 Nathan Hale, 222 
 
 Nature, 233 
 
 "Nature's Helper," 156 
 
 Naughty Little Gold Finger, 83 
 
 Nearer Home, Phoebe Cary, 13 
 
 Nearer, My God, to Thee, 206 
 
 Neat Family, A, 167 
 
 Neatness, 26, 167 
 
 Neatness and its reverse, 167 
 
 Neighbor Mine, 211 
 
 Never you mind the crowd, 185 
 
 Newman, John Henry, 145 
 
 Newton, Sir Isaac, 97 
 
 New Year's Day, 103 
 
 New Year's Day Customs, 103 
 
 New Year's Eve, 102 
 
 New Year's Message, 104 
 
 Next in importance to freedom, 72 
 
 Nicholas Nickelby, Dickens, 131 
 
 Niehaus, Charles H., 119 
 
 Nightingale, Florence, 205, 206 
 
 Nixie Bunny in Manners-Land, 
 
 Sindelar, 93 
 No flattery, boy! 179 
 No fountain is so small, 210 
 No one is useless, 84 
 Nobility, 91, 222 
 Nobility, Alice Cary, 113 
 Noble Conduct, 64 
 Noble Example, A, 217 
 Nobleness, 113 
 
 Nobody's Child, Phcebe Cary, 13 
 Not enjoyment and not sorrow, 180 
 Not what we give, 70 
 Now, Phcebe Cary, 13 
 Nutcrack Night, 57 
 
 O, it's I that am, 168 
 
 O make Thou us, 209 
 
 O Mother-My-Love, Field, 203 
 
 O Painter of the fruits, 193 
 
 O suns and skies, 32 
 
 O the green things, 233 
 
 O Washington! thrice glorious 
 
 name, 146 
 Obedience, 18, 43, 222 
 October's Bright Blue Weather, 
 
 Jackson, 44 
 October's Bright Weather, 32 
 Odin's Search for Wisdom, 119 
 Oft have I walked, 182 
 Oh, let us live, 26 
 Oh, many a shaft, 22 
 Oh, Washington! thou hero, 145 
 Oh, what a tangled web, 22 
 Old Curiosity Shop, Dickens, 131 
 Old Folks at Home, 113 
 Old Maxims, Alice Cary, 190 
 Old Oaken Bucket, The, 112 
 Old School-Bell, The, 156 
 Oliver Twist, Dickens, 131 
 On the choice of friends, 141 
 One day at a time, 44 
 One flag, one land, 224 
 One may live as a conqueror- 115 
 
 One Road, The, 89 
 
 Onward, Christian Soldiers, 113 
 
 Open the door, 233 
 
 Opening Song, 42 
 
 Opportunity, 41, 114 
 
 Optic, Oliver, 168 
 
 Orange Day, 164 
 
 Order, 211 
 
 Order is Heaven's first law, 211 
 
 Orne, Caroline F., 201 
 
 Osgood, Mrs. F. S., 9, 21, 218 
 
 Otway, 179 
 
 Our band is few, but true, 150 
 
 Our Greatest Patriot, 146 
 
 Our Homestead, Phcebe Cary, 13 
 
 Our Presidents in Rhyme, Ewing, 
 
 213 
 Over my shaded doorway, 92 
 Over the river, 78 
 
 Paderewski, Ignace Jan, 64 
 
 Page, Thomas Nelson, 189 
 
 Paine, Thomas, 145 
 
 Palmer, Alice Freeman, 235 
 
 Pansies, 210 
 
 Paradox of Books, The, More, 228 
 
 Parents, 88 
 
 Parkman, Francis, 20 
 
 Partridge, William O., 181 
 
 Pasteur, Louis, 99 
 
 Patience, 13, 26, 44, 74, 159 
 
 Patrick Henry, 214, 215 
 
 Patriotism, 14, 21, 73, 107, 110, 144, 
 
 150, 214, 219 
 Patti, Adeline, 144 
 Paul Revere's Ride, Longfellow, 103 
 Payne, John Howard, 221 
 Peabody, Miss S. C, 185 
 Peace Day, 208, 210 
 Peace has her victories, 208 
 Pearley, 100 
 Peary, Robert E., 199 
 Pegging Away Did It, 74 
 Penn, William, 41, 42 
 People's Song of Peace, Miller, 209 
 Perfect Tribute, The, Andrews, 139 
 Perrault, Charles, 111 
 Perseverance, 12, 21, 54, 79, 86, 94, 
 
 109, 129, 133, 141, 180, 197, 221 
 "Persevere," 221 
 Persistence, 119 
 Peter the Great, 222 
 Phillips, David Graham, 58 
 Phillips, Wendell, 79 
 Pickwick Papers, Dickens, 131 
 Pied Piper, The, 199 
 Pierce, Franklin, 75 
 Pig and the Hen, The, Alice Cary, 
 
 190 
 Pilot, The, Cooper, 20 
 Pinero, Sir Arthur W., 212 
 Pippa Passes, 201 
 Pitt, William, 70 
 Plant a Tree, Lucy Larcom, 186 
 Planting of the Apple-Tree, Bryant, 
 
 186 
 
248 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Planting Trees for Others, 187 
 
 Please, Aspinwall, 39 
 
 Pleasure of Doing Good, The, 194 
 
 Pleasures, 120, 193 
 
 Pleasures are like poppies, 120 
 
 Pledge of Band of Mercy, 25 
 
 Plow deep while sluggards sleep, 
 
 144 
 Poe, Edgar Allen, 143 
 Point of View, The, Richards, 26 
 "Politest Clerk, The," 192 
 Politeness, 24, 192 
 Polk, James K., 60 
 Pompous Young Man, The, 98 
 Poor Boy's Chances, Habberton, 134 
 Pope, Alexander, 74, 205, 211 
 Porter, David, 127, 228 
 Porter, Noah, 90 
 "Practice Makes Perfect," 181 
 Prayer at Morning, Stevenson, 68 
 Prescott, William H., 198 
 President Grant's Way, 22 
 President Wilson's Advice to Boys, 
 
 99 
 Presidents, Our, 213 
 Price of a Lie, The, 70 
 Procrastination, 61 
 Proctor, Adelaide A., 56 
 Progress, 149 
 Proofs of Nobility, 91 
 Proud Flag of the Free, 108 
 Psalm of Life, The, Longfellow, 
 
 149, 180 
 Pulaski, Count Casimir, 154 
 Punctuality, 229 
 Purpose, 50, 81, 94 
 Putnam, Israel, 108 
 Pyle, Howard, 154 
 
 Quarrel Soon Ended, A, 67 
 Questions, 183 
 
 Radium, 199 
 
 Raggylug, Ernest Thompson Seton, 
 
 19 
 Rainy Day, The, Longfellow, 90 
 Ramee, Louise de la, 120 
 Randolph, John, 218 
 Raphael, 178 
 
 Read, Thomas B., 155, 159 
 Reade, Charles, 220 
 Reading maketh a full man, 118 
 Ready Answer, The, 129 
 Real Hero, A, 189 
 Red Cross, The, 51, 53, 97, 206 
 Red Cross Flag, The Story of the, 
 
 52 
 Red, White and Blue, The, 225 
 Reed, Thomas B., 44 
 Reid, Samuel Chester, 122 
 Reid, Whltelaw, 54 
 Rembrandt, 37 
 Remembrance, 120 
 Remington, Frederic, 34 
 Republic, The, 187 
 Respect for the Aged, 223 
 
 Revere, Paul, 103 
 
 Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 148 
 
 Rhodes, Cecil, 167 
 
 Richards, Laura E., 12, 26, 41, 90, 
 
 201, 206, 210 
 Right and wrong, 207 
 Ring in the new school-books, 206 
 Ring out, wild bells, 102 
 Robert Bruce and the Spider, 54 
 Robert Burns and the Farmer, 82 
 Robert Fulton, 148 
 Robert Louis Stevenson Songs, 68 
 Robert of Lincoln, 188 
 Robert of Sicily, Longfellow, 149 
 Robins, Mrs. R. D. C, 134 
 Robinson Crusoe, 189 
 Rochambeau, Count de, 203 
 Rock Me to Sleep, 203 
 Rock of Ages, 61, 158, 218 
 Room at the Top, 17 
 Roosevelt, Theodore, 5 4 
 Ross, Betsy, 225 
 Rossetti, Christina G., 100 
 Rousseau, Jean Jacques, 235 
 Rubens, Peter Paul, 237 
 Rubinstein, Anton, 79 
 Ruskin, John, 131 
 Ryan, 216 
 
 Saavedra, Miguel de Cervantes, 37 
 Sailor Man, The, Richards, 12 
 Salt in Your Character, 159 
 Salute, The, 225 
 
 Salute to the Flag, A, Sumner, 107 
 Sangster, Margaret, 95, 178, 203 
 Santa Filomena, Longfellow, 206 
 Saxe, John Godfrey, 218 
 Schiller, Johann C. F. von, 66 
 Schofield, John McA., 29 
 School-house Stands by the Flag, 
 
 The, Butterworth, 224 
 Schoolroom Lesson, A, 42 
 Schreyer, Adolph, 202 
 Schubert, Franz, 126 
 Schumann, Robert, 108 
 Schurz, Carl, 152 
 Schuyler, Philip, 74 
 Scott, Sir Walter, 22, 23 
 Scott, Winfield, 224 
 Scudder, Horace E., 43 
 Secret of Success, The, 20, 56 
 Self-Control, 69 
 Self-Praise, 45 
 Self-Reliance, 34 
 Self-Sacrifice, 189 
 September Days, 18 
 September days are here, 18 
 Series of Don'ts, A, 93 
 Service, 70, 90 
 Set yourself earnestly, 89 
 Seward, William Henry, 207 
 Shakespeare, William, 71, 104, 119, 
 
 130, 142, 148, 160, 188 
 Shall w© grow weary, 182 
 Shaw, Henry Wheeler, 187 
 Sheridan, Philip H, 156, 
 
INDEX 
 
 249 
 
 Sheridan, Richard B., 29, 30 
 
 Sheridan's Ride, Read, 155 
 
 Sherman, Frank Dempster, 164, 199 
 
 Sherman, William T., 131 
 
 Ship of State, The, Longfellow, 149 
 
 Sigourney, Mrs. Lydia H., 10 
 
 Silently Falling Snow, The, 113 
 
 Sing, children, sing! 166 
 
 Sing, Smile, Slumber, 149 
 
 Singer, The, Whittier, 13 
 
 Slanderer, The, 48 
 
 Sleepy Song, Field, 11 
 
 Smart, Alexander, 161 
 
 Smiles, Samuel, 90 
 
 Smith, Francis Hopkinson, 49 
 
 Smith, Dr. Samuel F., 47, 48 
 
 Smith, W. S., 219 
 
 Snapapple Night, 57 
 
 Snow, The, 113 
 
 Snow-Bound, Whittier, 92 
 
 So are great deeds, 117 
 
 So here hath been dawning, 131 
 
 So nigh to grandeur, 210 
 
 Socrates, 81 
 
 Soldier's Reprieve, The, Robbins, 
 134 
 
 Solomon, 176 
 
 Solon, 43 
 
 Somebody did a golden deed, 90 
 
 Somebody's Mother, 202 
 
 Song of Easter, A, 166 
 
 Song of Marion's Men, Bryant, 150 
 
 Song of Nature, The, 60 
 
 Song of Peace, The, 210 
 
 Song of the Shirt, The, Hood, 10 
 
 Sowing, 193 
 
 Sowing and Reaping, 158 
 
 Sowing the Seed, 158 
 
 Sparrow, The, 188 
 
 Spartan Respect for the Aged, 223 
 
 Speak Softly, Gently, 122 
 
 Spencer, Herbert, 191 
 
 Spofford, Harriet, 180 
 
 Spring, 164, 165 
 
 Spring and Her Helpers, 165 
 
 Spy, The, Cooper, 20 
 
 St. Elizabeth and the Sick Child, 53 
 
 St. Patrick's Day, 161 
 
 St. Patrick and the Snakes, 162 
 
 St. Valentine's Day, 140 
 
 Standish, Miles, 33 
 
 Stanton, Edwin McMasters, 94 
 
 Star-Spangled Banner, The, 31, 64, 
 110, 111, 216 
 
 Stars and Posies, 210 
 
 Stars and Stripes, The, 225 
 
 Stars of the Summer Night, Long- 
 fellow, 149 
 
 Steam, 116 
 
 Stedman, Edmund C, 37 
 
 Stephenson, George, 221 
 
 Stetson, Charlotte P., 94 
 
 Stevenson, Robert Louis, 33, 68, 69, 
 168 
 
 Stoddart, Miss A. D., 65 
 
 Stolen Corn, The, 101 
 
 Stoop as Tou Go Through, 66 
 Story of a Seed, The, 177 
 Story of Andrew Carnegie, The, 76 
 Story of Edison, The, 133 
 Story of Eugene Field, The, 10 
 Story of the First Corn, The, 78 
 Story of Lafayette, The, 14 
 Story of My Life, Helen Keller, 87 
 Story of Phcebe Cary, The, 12, 190 
 Story of Samuel Johnson, The, 22 
 Story of the Red Cross Flag, 52 
 Story of Truth, The, Bakewell, 101 
 Strange Story of Sam Houston, The, 
 
 151 
 Strauss, Richard, 223 
 Strongest Minds, 133 
 Success, 20, 56, 89, 130, 181 
 Success in Life, 178 
 Such is the patriot's boast, 109 
 Sugar-Plum Tree, The, Field, 11 
 Summer Time, 235 
 Summer's a step behind, 15 
 Sumner, Charles, 107 
 Suppose, Phcebe Cary, 13, 64 
 Swain, 37 
 
 "Swamp Fox, The," 150 
 Sweet and Low, 35 
 Sweet Pea, A, 210 
 Swift, Jonathan, 80 
 Swinburne, Algernon Charles, 177 
 Sympathy of Abraham Lincoln, 
 
 The, 68 
 
 Taft, William Howard, 20 
 
 Tainter, Charles Sumner, 190 
 
 Tales from Shakespeare, Lamb, 143 
 
 Talking in Their Sleep, Thomas, 26 
 
 Tamlane, 58 
 
 Tap, tap, 167 
 
 Taylor, Bayard, 111, 172 
 
 Taylor, Zachary, 76 
 
 Teach me, Father, 26 
 
 Teach me to feel, 205 
 
 Telegraph-Cable, The Laying of the, 
 
 79 
 Telephone, The, 152 
 Temperance, 29 
 
 Tennyson, Alfred, 34, 35, 102, 195 
 Ten Things to Remember, 130 
 Texas Independence, 152 
 Thackeray, William M., 96 
 Thanksgiving, 78 
 Thanksgiving Day, 78 
 Thanksgiving Entertainments, 78 
 Thanksgiving Joys, 78 
 Thaxter, Celia, 166, 237 
 The best and highest thing, 193 
 The boys and girls, 220 
 The boys that are wanted, 88 
 The fisher who draws in his net, 
 
 129 
 The friendship between me, 32 
 The fruit, when the blossom, 190 
 The genius of success, 131 
 The great secret of success, 94 
 The height of my ambition, 64 
 
250 
 
 INDEX 
 
 The heights by great men, 22 
 
 The leaves are fading, 59 
 
 The moment I heard of America, 
 
 14 
 The plainest face has beauty, 132 
 The proudest now, 62 
 The riches of the Commonwealth, 
 
 91 
 The soul asks honor, 33 
 The sweetest bird, 37 
 The tissues of life, 162 
 The truly generous, 59 
 The very flowers that bend, 71 
 The words which thou hast uttered, 
 
 36 
 Then Conquer We Must, 110 
 There are as many pleasant things, 
 
 12 
 There are barrels, 211 
 There are no fragments so precious, 
 
 61 
 There is a bird I know, 187 
 There is a pretty little flower, 120 
 There is always hope, 83 
 There is beauty, 219 
 There is only one failure, 117 
 There is Room Enough at the Top, 
 
 Marden, 18 
 There's Music in the Air, 44 
 There's music in the sighing, 47 
 This above all, 188 
 This is the East, 185 
 This world is not so bad, 14 
 Thoroughness, 65 
 Thorwaldsen, Albert Bertel, 73 
 Thou must be true, 51 
 Though your duty may be hard, 29 
 Thought is the seed, 228 
 Three Rules of Happiness, Palmer, 
 
 235 
 Time is always on the wing, 229 
 Time is Short, 181 
 'Tis Always Morning Somewhere, 
 
 149 
 'Tis the time of the year, 95 
 To a Field Mouse, 120 
 To all the world I give my hand, 
 
 106 
 To be polite, 129 
 To form character, 162 
 To Our Friends, 26 
 Toil Spells Success, 191 
 Toplady, Augustus M., 61 
 Training for Greatness, Marden, 
 
 132, 139 
 Traverse the Desert, 24 
 Tribune of the People, A, Marden, 
 
 129 
 Trine, 148, 182, 199 
 True Dignity, 220 
 
 True dignity abides with him, 220 
 True Manhood, 160 
 True Nobility, 91 
 Time wisdom is to know, 1, 151 
 True Worth, 17, 24, 65, 82 
 True worth is in being, 82 
 
 Trumbull, John, 220 
 Trust, 59, 100, 158 
 Truth, 70, 188 
 Truthfulness, 22 
 Try, Try, Again, 54 
 Trying, 191 
 
 Turner, Joseph M. W., 188 
 Turning About, Myers, 42 
 Twain, Mark, 80 
 Twice one are two, 234 
 Two Foolish Birds, The, 64 
 Two Gardeners, The, 165 
 Two Men of Worth, 65 
 Two Roads, The, Richter, 50 
 Two Workers, The, Avery, 28 
 Tyler, John, 170 
 
 Uncle Sam's Wedding, 115 
 
 Under the leaves, Laighton, 182 
 
 Uncle Tom's Cabin, 92 
 
 Unkind Words, 84 
 
 Up the airy mountain, 56 
 
 Use dispatch, 199 
 
 Usefulness, 84 
 
 Vacation, 237 
 
 "Vacation is the time," 237 
 Vacation Song, 238 
 Vacation-Time, 237 
 Vacation's Coming, 238 
 Vaccination, 99 
 Valentine Day, 140 
 Value of a Good Name, The, 101 
 Value of Things, The, 60, 100 
 Van Buren, Martin, 84 
 Van Dyke, Henry, 65, 66, 188 
 Van Dyke, John Charles, 187 
 Van Dyke, Sir Anthony, 165 
 Verdi, Guiseppi, 38 
 Vespucci, Amerigo, 162 
 Veteran Army, The, 145 
 Vicar of Wakefield, Goldsmith, 189 
 Village Blacksmith, The, Longfel- 
 low, 10 
 Vinci, Leonardo da, 196 
 Voice of April, The, 177 
 Voice of Nature, The, 105 
 Voltaire, Francois M. A. de, 73, 74 
 Voting Day, 62 
 
 Wagner, Richard, 211 
 Waif's View of Wealth, A, 59 
 Wait and See, 74 
 Wake Up, 165 
 Wallace, Lewis, 180 
 Walled Garden, The, 201 
 Ward, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, 122 
 Ward, Mrs. Humphrey, 222 
 Ward, John Quincy Adams, 237 
 Warner, Charles Dudley, 17, 18 
 Warren, Joseph, 222 
 Washington, Booker T., 185 
 Washington, George, 43, 145, 229 
 Washington Day Entertainments, 
 Sindelar, 146 
 
INDEX 
 
 251 
 
 Washington Song, 146 
 
 Washington's Birthday, 146 
 
 Washington's Rules of Conduct, 147 
 
 Waste Not, Want Not, 168 
 
 Watch Tour Words, 43 
 
 Waterman, Nixon, 108 
 
 Watt, James, 116 
 
 Watts, Isaac, 56 
 
 Wayne, Anthony, 103 
 
 We can never be too careful, 158 
 
 We give our heads, 226 
 
 We hold these truths, 174 
 
 We live in deeds, 208 
 
 We should make the same use, 125 
 
 We sleep, but the loom, 113 
 
 We want no kings, 91 
 
 Webster, Daniel, 115, 116, 216 
 
 Webster, Noah, 43 
 
 Wellington, Arthur W. (Duke of), 
 
 196 
 Wellington and the Toad, 122 
 We're Tenting To-night, 216 
 Wesley, Rev. John, 217, 228 
 Westinghouse, George, 35 
 What Broke the China Pitcher, 
 
 Howliston, 61 
 What Does Little Birdie Say, 168 
 Whate'er you think, 158 
 "Whatever is Worth Doing," 130 
 What is a Flag Worth? 225 
 What Kind of Boys, 106 
 "What means that star," 96 
 "What Shall I Do?" 81 
 What Shall the New Year Be? 104 
 What the Clock Told Polly, 183 
 What Will You Choose, 161 
 Wheatfield, The, Richards, 91 
 When the Swallows Homeward Fly, 
 
 Abt, 95 
 When we plant a tree, 186 
 When you find one good and true, 
 
 79 
 Whenever a task is set, 99 
 Where honor ceaseth, 160 
 Where the Shine Came From, 200 
 Which Loved Best, Allison, 88 
 Whitaker, Dr., 167 
 White, Peregrine, 73 
 White Carnation, The, 203 
 Whitman, Walt, 140, 216 
 Whitney, Eli, 86 
 Whittier, John G., 36, 62, 78, 91, 
 
 92, 107, 158, 162, 182, 209 
 Whittier's Birthday, 91 
 Who Began It, 140 
 
 Who shall be queen of the May? 
 
 195 
 Why sigh you for jewels? 17 
 Wilcox, Ella Wheeler, 13, 55, 89, 
 
 91, 166 
 Wilkie, Sir David, 71 
 Willard, Frances E., 27 
 William Penn and the Indians, 41 
 William Tell, 74 
 Willis, Nathaniel Parker, 117 
 Wilson, Augusta Jane (Evans), 201 
 Wilson, James Grant, 193 
 Wilson, Woodrow, 99 
 Winslow, Edward, 45 
 Wireless Telegraphy, 190 
 Wisdom, 17, 24, 65, 82, 118, 131, 148 
 With slow and reverent tread, 215 
 With Washington's name, 213 
 Wolfe, James, 104 
 Wonderful Weaver, A, 127 
 Wood, Leonard, 38 
 Woodman Spare That Tree, 38 
 Woodworth, Samuel, 112 
 Worcester, Joseph Emerson, 54 
 Words, 152 
 
 Wordsworth, William, 133, 178 
 Work, 12, 20, 22, 83, 131, 185, 201 
 Work, Alice Cary, 190 
 Work and Play, 22, 105 
 Work for the Night is Coming, 12, 
 
 80, 134 
 Work for some good, 9 
 Work of the Week, The, 132 
 Work while you work, 65 
 Workingman's Song, Mackay, 12 
 World I live in. The, Helen Keller, 
 
 87 
 World is What We Make It, The, 
 
 91 
 Wolton, Sir Henry, 69 
 Worth, 17, 24, 65, 82, 131 
 Would you think it? 164 
 Wounded Curlew, The, 198 
 Wright, Wilbur, 185 
 Wronging Others, 22 
 Wynken, Blynken and Nod, Field, 
 
 11 
 
 Ye who love the Republic, 62, 224 
 
 You cannot dream, 88 
 
 You hear that boy laughing? 35 
 
 You Never Miss the Water, 77, 169 
 
 Youth, 83 
 
 Yussouf, Lowell, 123 
 
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