Ne aNA he ve ¢ 3 uw Ne LP 4 Pa 4 “VC a, ES Pa ff ; tec aon . Ms Zae-f ee : y Fg /Vt2etere - oS y 4 SSO cL ¥ . 7 / 7 v i ' \ CHILD’S FIRST TALES: CHIEFLY 1N WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE. For the use of Iufant Schools AND LITTLE CHILDREN IN GENERAL. VOL. If. BY THE REY. W. CARUS WILSON, M.A., RECTOR OF WHITTINGTON. LONDON : WEBB, MILLINGTON AND CO., WINE OFFICE COURT, FLEET STREET. ALSO, LEEDS AND OTLEY. EDINBURGH: JOHN MENZIES, PRINCES STREET, DUBLIN: JOHN ROBERTSON, GRAFTON ST. No. 1. The Doves in as 2. The poor Black Man ay 3. The Funeral = 4. Child and Kettle... CONTENTS. 3irds’ Nests ... }. The Baby . The Snake > 8. The Church Yard . Bad Girls . The Church . The Great House . The Lost Sheep . The Whale . The Well... . Days of Peace . The Eagle = . Black Man’s Hut . The Flowers . Man and Snake . The Good Child . . The Shipwreck . Boy and Dog . Father and Child . The Cave . Samuel and Eli . Marbles 5 WOW WO Ww WH laf ON — re ~ . Good Man . The Man among Thieve 8 29. The Bats . The Shepherd . The Bridge . Men in aow . The Bird . The Martyr . The Swine’s Hacks . The Elephant . The Fire Works . The Camels . The Camels The Vine . The School 2. The Tent . The Ants . Tom Cragg . The Storm : . The Readbreast ... . Father gone . The Sheep . Birds’ Nests ... . Young Birds ; . Robbing the Nest . The Lighthouse 53. The Lighthouse oF . The Thunder Storm 55. The Sweep ... . The Death-bed . The Dying Mother . Blacks praying . Selling a Slave . Bad News... . Balaam’s Ass ss 2. Wise Men from the E ast 3. A Good Boy . The Hare The Shop ». The Poor Widow . The Necklace . Rich Man and Beggar The Dark Night 3irth of Christ 71. Jane Kirk The Blind Man . The Ice F . Noise in the dark : . The Bear and Cubs ... . Dame Black . Slaves 78. The Fault . The Black Man . Dame Spence > The Cat 3 2. The Church Yard . The Sun-flower . Bad Boy ... 5. The Sticks ... }. James Hope The Good Boy 8. Heathen Gods 9. Heathen Gods burnt... . Jane Sparks . The Nosegay.. . The Tree... . Black Boys . James Finch -~2 DQ ~Y ~7 -3 =3 <7 =7 «7 +2 OO COOMA & O to e ) po 82 a © wm Oo 85 86 io 2) ~I 88 © © Oo © we oO © 98 94 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106. 107. 108. 109. 110. Ann Wilks... Wares Jack Smith Ann Sharp The Heathen The Dark Jem Burn ... The Lie The Snakes The Weavers The Eagles ee The Poor Heathen The Butterfly No Bridge

ra) ( HH No. 3.—The Funeral. There they take, with a slow, sad pace, a corpse to its long home. Some one has died, and must now be laid in the cold, dark graye. But you know, the soul, which is that part of us which feels and thinks, does not die and go to the grave. It is the flesh which dies, and turns to dust in the church yard. But the soul can not die. It will live as long as God lives; that is for e-ver. You need not fear the grave, if the soul is but safe and fit to go to a good place. And then the day will come, when the flesh shall rise from the grave, and join the soul once more, and both shall dwell with Christ as one new man, made quite good, and full of peace and joy. There isno sting in death to those who love and serve Christ. Nor can the grave hurt them. The keys of hell and death are in the hands of Christ; and all pow-er is in his hands. He knows them that are his, and he will keep them while they live, and when they die. No. 4.—Child and Kettle. Ann Smith had left the house for a short time. She told her child Jane to be sure to keep from the fire, and to be still, till she came back. But Jane did not do as she was bid. She thought there would be no harm if she went to the fire. Now Ann Smith had just put the ket-tle off the fire as she went out. And what do you think Jane did? She went to the ket-tle, took it in her bands, put the spout in her mouth, and did drink. Oh! it was so hot! It did scald poor Jane’s mouth and throat so bad; and when Ann Smith came back, she heard her child’s screams, and could not think what was to do. Now Jane was so ill burnt, that they thought she would die, and she kept in her bed for some weeks I hope it;will be a check to her, and teach her to do as she is bid. CHILD’S FIRST TALES. 7) = a \ i Wo. 5.—Birds’ Nests. Do you see those two boys? It is Will Vince and Jack North. I grieve to say they were bad boys. ‘They did not do as their friends bid them. The »y did not like school, or to learn what would do them good. And one day in the spring, they left their school, and went to rob birds’ ae Now they came to some high, steep rocks. They saw some birds fiy far down, and they were sure that there would be some nests. But they could not climb down, it was so steep.+So Jack told Will to hold him fast by his heesi, and let him down to the nests. He did so, and J am sure Will did his best to keep tight hold, but the weight was too much for him, and down they both went! Now you w ill long to know what came tothem. Sad to say, the »y both died on the spot. For it was a gre at long way that they fell. How sad to die in such a way and in such a state: for I am sure boys who do not do as they are bid, will not be in a fit state to die. B2 CHILD’S FIRST TALES. No. 6.—The Baily. These dear chil-dren thought they would give a nice treat to their ba-by bro-ther. So they got the arm chair, and put him in, and gave him a ride round the room. Ba- by did like it so much, and he did Jaugh and crow so loud. I know whe did tire first. As for ba-by, he did pout and cry if th did not goon. At last, all their strength was gone, and they could drag him no more. Not that such a ti-ny ba-by was a great weight; but still the ba-by and the chair too was a weight for such young folks to drag, and they could not go on so long as he did wish them to do. How nice it is to see chil- dren try to please each c-ther. Which is best? ‘To please, or to plague? I] think you know. 2 No. 7.—The Snake. I have a strange tale to tell you now. One hot day, Jane and Ann Moor thought they would have a nice play out of doors. So they got a stool, and they got a bowl, and they made a feast. But who do you think thought fit to come to be their guest? It was not an old friend who came; but it was along snake! They did not live where you and | live, but in a far off land, where there are all kinds of snakes and wild beasts. So this bold snake came up to their stool, and put its head up, and did look in-to the bowl. Poor things! they did not know how near they were to death. Bu if this snake had bit them, 1 think they would have died. But they kept quite still, and did not touch it; and so it went back to its home, and did not hurt them. TALES No. 8.—The Church yard. Poor man! His wife died a few days since, and he is come to see her grave. Oh! what sad work death makes in the world. First this friend dies, and then that friend; and you know all must some time die. I think if I had laid a dear friend in the grave, I should wish to go there, and sit, and cry. And yet what good would this do? The soul is not there. The soul is up in the sky. I think if my dear lost friend could see me from the sky, he would smile, and. say,— “Why do you go there and weep? You Know I am not in the dark grave. I amu in the sky with God and Christ, where all is light, and peace, and joy, and love.” Yet, it is good to go to the church yard, that we may think how soon we must die. Yes, young and old, rich and poor, high and low,——all must die. May God make us fit to die in peace and hope! No. 9.—Bad Girls. Oh! fie, fie, bad girls. How sad it is to see you fight? What is to do? See, you have thrown the chair down; and then that poor child goes next, and who knows but you may kill her? If she falls with the back of her head on the chair, 1 dare say she will be so much hurt that she will die, And then what will you say, and what will you think? I think, that as long as you live, you will have no peace of mind. Friends may be kind, and you may have a nice house to live in, and good ¢ ‘lothes to wear, and food to eat; but oh! it will all be in yain. ‘The thought that you did kill a pooythild in your rage, will make you to spend all your ‘life long as @ poor sad wretch who knows no peace. My child, pray for a heart full of love. Then, if one is not kind to you, you will not get cross and rough. You will be still, CHILD’S FIRST TALES. No. 10.— The Church. The great God dwells in the sky, and he dwells in all the earth at the same time. There is no place where he is not: and there is no place where he will not be found of those who seek him. But it is his will that we should build him a house here on earth; and that house we call a church. 'There he comes to meet those who look to him with their whole hearts. You should go then to church, full of hope that the great God will meet you there to bless you and to do you good. You should pray to Him in faith, and beg that he will fill you with his grace. And how it should fill you with awe, to think that God is in this place ! Not a great man, a king of this world, but the King of kings, and Lord of lords. How you should fear to think one thought, or to speak one word that he would not like. CHILD’S FIRST TALES. ll No. J1.—The Greut House. Here is a fine house, I am sure. Oncea ereat and brave man did live there. In those times of old, all was not peace in this land as it is now; but there were wars, and no one could live in peace and rest. A great house like this had to be made safe from the foe. So there were guns on the walls, and a ditch all round, full of wa-ter, and a bridge which they could draw up at night, so that no one could pass o-ver. Oh! how glad we should be that we do not live in these sad times. Well, this brave man, of whom I speak, went out to a far place to fight for his king. And there he was slain by the foe. But his bo-dy was brought home; and it lies in the church, near this great house. ‘There is a large stone fi-gufe of him on the grave. Sut now we can sit in our homes in peace, and no one makes us to fear. How kind is God to us! * saa : ey * Rey na Sa CHILD’S FIRST TALES. No. 12.—The Lost Sheep. You will not know what this means, but I will soon tell you. You know, on the moors there are large flocks of sheep. They count them each day, to see that none are lost. Well, one day there was one they could not find. So they set off this way and that way, and at last, they saw that it had got down some steep rocks, and could not get back to the flock. What was to be done? They could not bear the thought that it should die there; and yet, die it must, if left. So at last they took a rope, and tied.a pole at the end. They then put a man on this pole, and let him down to this poor sheep. They held the rope fast in their hands at the top. And when he got the sheep, he put it on his knee, and the men at the top did drag the man and the sheep up safe. 1 know one good Shep-herd who did give his life for the lost sheep. Do not you too? CHILD’S FIRST TALES, 13 : Yes, it was Jesus. How you should love him! For you were like this lost sheep. No. 13.—The Whale. This great fish they calla whale. It is so great, that men, you see, stand on its back. They have caught it in the sea. It is now quite dead. You see a man on its back with an axe inhishand. Itis tocutitup. "They do not eat the flesh of the whale; but they cut it up for the sake of the oil which they get out of it. And you know what we do with oil. We put it in lamps to burn. I dare say you could tell me of a man of whom we read in God’s book, who was thrown out of a ship, and a whale caught him, and he was three days in the whale’s bel- ly. It was Jonah, you know. Second Series. Cc CHILD’S FIRST TALES. No. 14.—The Well. You know what a well is, do you not? It is a deep hole, dug in the ground. ‘They dig down till they come to wa-ter; and then they wall the sides round, that they may not fall in. A rope is then let down, with a buc-ket at the end, which they wind up on a wheel, full of wa-ter. Once Christ sat on the side of a well. “He was quite faint with his long walk and with thirst. There came one out of the town to draw wa-ter. Je-sus said to her, ‘“*Give me to drink.” But when she found who it was that spake to her, she set her pot down, and went back to the town, and told her friends to come and see him. ‘They were so glad to see him, that they did ask him to stop with them. And he staid two days. CHILD’S FIRST TALES. 15 No. 15.— Days of Peace. You could not see all these walk in such love and peace in these days in which we live. ‘There is a fierce li-on, and he would soon eat up the poor dear child, yes, and the calf, and the cow too. Nor wanild those nice lambs be safe with that fierce ti-ger. But we read, in God’s word, that the days will come, fwheu the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the calf, and the young li-on, and a lit-tle child shall feed them. These days will be the days of peace, and love, and rest with men, as well as with the beasts of the earth. I iio not know if you or I shall live to see those bright days; ‘but some will see them. Oh! that the “y may soon come. Oh! that war, and strife, and sin may soon cease! “'T a will be done in earth, as it is in hea-ven WTO ania ST meaceee prtln CHILD’S FIRST TALES. No 16.—The Eagle. See that fierce bird, it has caught a poor hare. The hare runs fast, but it could not get out of its way. They call the bird an ea-gle. Oh! it is such a strong, fierce bird. It kills poor puss, and then it will take her in its claws up to the high rocks, where it has its nest, and give it to its young ones. I heard a tale, not long since, of an ea-gle which went off with a child. The mo-ther was in a hay-field, and had laid the child down to sleep in the hay. Then the bird came when she did not see, and off it flew with the poor child. When the mo-ther found it out, she set off up the high rocks, and got to the nest in time to save her child. It was just dead, but it came round ; and you may think with what joy she brought it home. CHILD’S FIRST TALES. 17 No. 17.—Black Man’s Hut. This is a queer place. It is the black man’s house. It is not at all like the house you live in. You have the fire place at the end, in the wall: and the smoke goes up, and does not come in-to the room. But here you see itis not so. The fire is on the floor, and the smoke goes just where it likes. But they do not mind it: it is what they have had all their days: and I dare say they would not like a house like ours as well. 1 have not seen a black man’s hut in a far off land; but I have seen just the same at the far end of Scot-land. I could not live in the smoke, with which I saw the huts full; but the men there do not care for it. Some told me, they thought it did them good. c2 CHILD’S FIRST TALES. No. 18.—The Flowers. Pluck those flow-ers, my buy, if you like; and it is all right if it is out of love to your dear sis-ter, and to please her; but I like to see the flow-ers grow. They will soon die when you pluck them, and then there is an end of them; but if you do not pluck them, they may last a long time. 'The great God makes the flow-ers to grow. How kind it is in God to make the sweet flow-ers just to please us. He need not have done so. All might have been thorns and weeds. Our sins might well lead us to look for this. But God does not deal with us as our sins might lead us to look for. Oh! no. How much he has made to please us. Ought we not then to love the great God, who is so kind and good to us? No. 19.—Man and Snake. See that poor man. He had had a long walk. He was quite spent and faint, and could walk no more. So he laid down on the grass to sleep. Ah! he did not know what would come to him. But a long, big snake, I do not know how long, came, and crept round him. It held him so fast, he could not stir. Then he woke from his slee ; but he could not move. And at last the snake did squeeze him to death. I have seen a snake of this kind. Once there was one brought in a show through the place where I live. And as my sick child could not go to see the snake, it was brought in-to the room for her to see. It had not the strength, when kept up as it was here, that it has in its wild state. So it did no harm. It would put a hare in its mouth at once, and eat it up. No. 20.— Th Well, my dear, what do you want? Please, ma-ma, I have done school, may I now go out and play? Yes, my dear, put on your things, and go. Now, Jane was a good girl; she had read well, and spelt well, and done her work well; so she went with a light heart. The day was fine, the sun was bright, the birds sang in the trees, and off Jane went to work in her gar-den. ‘There she put in her seeds. She thought they would not come up, they were so long in the ground; but she learnt to wait; and in the end, her gar-den was full of nice, sweet flow-ers. Oh! she was so hap-py! But she would not have been so, if she had not been good at school. The birds might sing, the sun might shine, she might work in her gar-den; but her heart would have been sad all the time, if she had not been good at school. | \-. aa ee id 21 Wo. 21.—The Shipwreck. There has been a storm at sea. The wind blew strong. The waves rose high. What could they do on board the ship? They did what they could, and tried to save her, but it was all in vain. The ship struck on a rock, and down it went. Oh! the poor men, how they cried out for help. But most of them were lost. in the sea. Only two or three got safe toland. 'There you see them climb up the rock. They do not know where they have got to. It may be a land where there is no food, and they will die for want of it. Or it may be a land where there are fierce men who will kill them. Poor men, do you not feel for them? When you sit in your house in a storm, near a nice fire, or lie in your warm bed, think of the ships at sea, and pray that God would keep them safe. CHILD’S FIRST TALES. No. 22 —Boy and Dog. I once heard a tale of a poor boy. He had left his home, and: got a great way off. Night came on, and his friends could not think where he was gone. Now, the poor boy had lost his way. He did not know what todo. So he sat down, and cried; and he quite thought he should die, and no more see his dear friends and home. But his friends had a fine, wise kind of dog. Oh! such a nice dog! And they sent this dog off in search of the boy. ‘They had to wait hours and hours, and thought it would all be in vain, and that they should see their poor boy no more; when at last in came the dog with the boy safe on his back! There he is. See how fast hold he takes, and how pleas-ed the dog looks. 1t seems to think that it had done a great thing. And so I am sure he has. : ; CHILD’S FIRST TALES. 23 No. 23.—Father and Child. Why does that poor man cry? Is he ill? No. Ishe hurt? No. But his child has told a sad lie. And he must whip his child when he tells a lie. But it makes him so sad to whip his poor child. It hurts him far more than if a-ny one was to whip him. He loves his child, and he can not bear to give him pain. And yet he would not love his child, if he did not whip him. For it is so bad to tell lies. Oh! how God hates those who tell lies. You know where his book says they will go when they die. Now, this good man does not wish his poor child to go to that bad place; so he must whip him, that hesmay learn to tell lies no more. My ehild, think well before you speak, And set a watch on the door of your lips. Sie No. 24.—The Cave. This is a cave. It goes a great way through the rocks. It is by the sea side, The sea runs in-to it. I once went to see this cave. Oh! it was so nice. We left the ship in which we went: and we got in-to a boat. And the boat took us in-to the cave. The sea was as clear as glass. And the cave so high. And the rocks on both sides like neat, well built walls. If the wind blows, and the sea is rough, you can not go in-to the cave. Who is a God like un-to our God, who has done such great things in the earth? His works praise him. And we may well call on all that j is with-in us to bless his ho-ly name. CHILD’S FIRST TALES. 25 =i ANN ey wv Vo Lin _ ' | No, 25.—Sumuel and Eli. We read of this in God’s own Book. There is the old priest, whose name was E-li. And that dear child is Sa-mu-el. God did love Sa-mu-el, and did speak to him, and tell him what he would have him to do. Yes, though he was so young a child, God made known his will to him. And there he tells E-li all that God had said to him. He grew up to be a good man, and to love and fear God. All through life, God was his friend. He died at a good old age, in peace and hope. May you, my dear child, now seek and serve the Lord, as Samuel did. ‘Then his God will be your God. And when you die, you shall live with him, where all is peace, and joy, and love. Second Series. D CHILD’S FIRST TALES. No. 26 —MurLles. 1 think I know what that play is. ‘The boys do play at mar-bles, See what fine fun they have! I think they have been at school all day, and have been good boys. And now they have leave to play. I hope they will not fall out in their play. It is nice to see boys live in love. And there comes their good mas-ter. They do not run off when he comes to them. ‘They need not fear. ‘They do no wrong. Their mas-ter likes to see them play, when they do so as friends, and have been good at school. It is bad boys who may well run off and fear, when they see their mas-ter. I have seen the mas-ter some times play with his boys. You know it is said, All work, and no play, makes Jack a dull boy. CUILD’S FIRST TALES. 27 No. 27.—Good Man. A good man is come to read in the poor hut. John Spence and his wife Ann do not know how to read. They had no one to teach them when they were young. And they feel the loss now. But though they can not read, you know they have souls to save; and they much wish this kind friend to come and read to them, and tell them what they must do. «And they like it so much, that they call in those who live near to come and hear. And see how grave they all look while the good man reads, and makes God’s word plain to them. Do you not think it is a nice sight? 1 dare say John and Ann Spence will like so much what they hear, that they will soon learn to read for them-selves. And they are not too old to learn, Where there is a will, there is a way. CHILD’S FIRST TALES. No. 28.—The Man among Thieves. Once a poor man had a long way to go; and he was out late at night. And thieves came up to him, and pulled off his clothes, and took all that he had, and beat him, and hurt him so much, that he was half dead. Off they went; and there he lay, and thought he should die. Then day came; and men went that way, and saw him; but they did not care for him, but went on, and left him. At last one man, with a heart full of love, came; and he went up to him, and did dress his wounds, and give him clothes, and speak kind words to him. Then he put him on his horse, and took him to an inn, and told the man there to take care of him, and when he came back he would pay him. Was not this a friend? Such a friend is Jesus. He did not pass by us when he saw CHILD’S FIRST TALES. 29 us lie just dead with the wounds of sin; but he stopt to heal and save us. No. 29.—The Bats- These odd things are bats. ‘They look like mice, and they look like birds. And they are part of both. Their wings make them like birds; and the rest of them is just like a mouse. You do not see bats fly a-bout in the day time. ‘They can not bear the light of the sun. So they keep in their snug holes all the day, and come out at night. I think a bad boy is like a bat. I will tell you why. He fears to come to the light, lest his bad deeds should be seen. He keeps in the dark. He does not wish to have it known what he does. God's Book calls him a child of the night, or a child of the dark. And this makes him like a bat. D2 No 30.—The Shepherd. ‘There is a sheep with a lamb by its side. Poor lamb, I do not know how it will get on, for the snow is on the ground, and it is cold and wet for it. But its mo-ther will take great care of it; and if the snow lies long on the ground, the shep-herd will give the sheep hay to eat, and then she will not want milk for her lamb. You must not think the dog will hurt the lamb or the sheep. It will do just as the shep-herd bids. It knows his flock, and it would not hurt them. You know who is our Shep-herd? Je- sus. All we like sheep have gone a-stray. We have gone in-to our own bad ways. Je-sus goes forth like the good Shep-herd, to seek and to saveus. He gives his life for the sheep. Oh! how he loves them! And should not we love him much too? Yes, I CHILD’S FIRST TALES. 31 am sure we should love him, and serve him with all our hearts. Lord, may we not stray from thee. Do thou keep us all the day. No. 31.—The Bridge. There is a bridge. You know what great use a bridge is of? If there was no bridge, you could not eross the great stream. You might with a boat; but how would large carts do? And how could a coach cross ? I do not think you would know how to build a bridge. No, my child, you have much to learn. But if you live ‘i grow old, you will know how to make an arch of a bridge. You must make haste, and get to be a wise boy. 1 have known a great flood come, and wash a bridge down. ‘And then they have to build it up. CHILD’S FIRST TALES. No. 32.— No. $5,.— sre Swine s LLushk$. We read in God’s word of a bad boy who eft his home. He did not love to do as he was bid. He did not care for his kind friends; and off he went into a far land. There he did just what his bad heart told him. He got drunk, and-was as bad as he could be,. But soon he was in want. All was gone. He could buy no more food or drink. And no one would give to him, for they knew how bad he was. W hat could he now do? Do you know, he was glad to go and feed with the pigs. He knew he should die, if he did not do so; and he went to fill him-self with the husks; that is, the coarse, bad food which the swine did eat! FIR ST TALES. No. 36 —The Elephant. What a fine beast this is. They call it an e-le-phant This is a hard word for you, but I dare say you can spell and learn it. It is so strong and so wise. And if you do not treat it ill, it is kind and tame. I knew one that was so fond of a boy. And the boy did ride on its back. You will ask how he got on, such a great height up. Why, the e-le-phant took him up on his trunk, and put him on his back. ‘The boy had no fears. It did not hurt him. But if you treat it ill, 1 do not know what it might not do to you. Once some boys did play some wild tricks with this fine beast: and when he had borne it as long as he could he went off. By and bye he came back with his trunk full of wa-ter, and he threw it all on the boys ! ‘They were quite wet through; but it was their own fault. They would do so no more, I think. a CHILD'S FIRST TALES. No. 37.—The Fire Works. When you play, you should take care not to hurt your friend. Tom Bent and Jack Finch had leave to play with some fire works. There was no harm in this; and fire works are nice things to play with, and will not hurt you if you make a right use of them. But Jack Finch was a wild, rash lad. He did not go the right way to work, and let them off in the air. But he put the match to one of them, and then putitin Tom Bents clothes, and there it went off and made sad work. It burnt his clothes, and what was far worse, it burnt his face and his hands, and he fell down much hurt. Jack was now full of fear that Tom would die. but he came round in a few days; and I do hope that it , will teach Jack to do so no more all his life long. Second Serves. E i at 2 ii it € 3 & aa CHILD'S FIRST TALES. No. 88.—The Camels. These great beasts they call ca-mels. Though they look so great, they are quite tame, and would not hurt you. They are so high, that you will want to know how men get on their backs ; for I must tell you that in some lands they use them to ride on, just as we do the horse or the ass. The ca-mel lies down when he is told, and then the man gets on his back. They will go a long way with-out food, and with-out water. And this makes them just suit the dry burnt sands in the east, through which men have to pass, and where there is no food and of. ten no wa-ter. Here you see them drink at a well. How glad the poor things must be when they come to a well. CHILD'S FIRST TALKS, 39 No. 89.— The Camels. Here you see more of the ca-mels. The hunch on the ca-mel’s back just suits for the man to ride on. He looks quie safe. I think you would not fear to ride there. 40) CHILD'S FIRST TALES. No. 40.—The Vine. I am the vine, says Christ. The child who loves and serves Christ is the branch of the vine. The branch can not bear fruit, if it does not keep in the vine: no more can you bear fruit if you do not keep in Christ. But what fruit are you, as a branch, to bear? Not the fruit of grapes to be sure, such as you see grow there. But the fruit of good works. Are you, my child, a young branch in Christ the vine? A young branch may bear fruit, as well as an old one. If the grace of Christ comes in-to your soul, like sap in-to the branch of the tree, you will not fail to bear fruit. Keep close to Christ. Live in Christ. Pray much to Christ for his grace, then you will bear mitch frit. No. 41.—The School. This.is a school. There is no want of schools now in our dear land. Time was when there were no schools. Then poor boys and girls had no one to care for them; no one to teach them. But it is not so now. “Thank God that you live in these days, when you have kind friends to teach you, and to care for you. When you go to school, pray that God would give you a wise heart. You have much to learn. You have to learn to know your-self. You have to learn to know Jesus Christ, who came to save us from sin and from hell. You have to learn to know God’s will, and how you may walk in his ways, and please him. And you have much to learn a-bout that nice world, to which you wish to go when you die. ~42.— The Tent. All men do not live in a house like the one you live in. Your house is built with stone or brick, and glass, and slate. It is built so strong, that it will stand for years and years. But in some lands they have not a house of this kind; they live in tents; such as you see here. They are made with poles, and clotht thrown on them. They can put them up and take them down, just when they like. And so they move from place to place, as they may wish. We read in God's book of those who dwelt in tents. I think you would not like them so well as the house youlivein. I amsure I should not. They must be cold, and dark, and some-times wet. CHILD'S FIRST TALES. 43 No. 48.—The Anis. See those poor ants how they tol and fag at their work. I do not know what it is that they drag there to their nest; but what strength they must have to drag so large a thing. We are told in God’s word “to go to the ant, and learn what we ought to do.” They are al-ways at work. They do not lose their time. We should strive to be like them in this. God does not love those who lose their time. We have all much to do; and we may not have much time to do it in. Life may soon end with us. Yes, a child may die as well as an old man. When we come to die, we shall grieve that we have lost our time. We shall wish to have it back, that we may make a good use of it. A child may play, but it must not be all play. There is atime to work as well as a time to play. ‘HiLD S=EIRSE~ TALES, No. 44.—Tom Cragg. Poor Tom Cragg, his friends were all dead, or had gone far off. He had no home, and he a ans know what to do. But he had an aunt, who did live a long way off. So he thought he would go to see if he could find her. And he thought i if he could, that she would be kind to ‘him, and help him. He did beg for food as he went on his way; and at nights, he did sleep in the hedge, as the birds do. It was cold and dark, ‘and no one was near to take care of him but he put his trust in God, and he was quite safe. But his shoes wore out, and his feet got sore with his long ws alk, atid he would sit down 6n the side of the hedge and ery with the pain. Once two kind la-dies came up. He told them all the truth, and they took out their purse, and gave him some pence to help him on, and ‘they got him some rag for his sore feet. CHILD'S FIRST TALES. 45 No. 45.—The Storm. What a storm! See that flash ! Dear child, learn to trust in God. He guides the storm. It can not hurt you with-out his leave. In the house, or out of doors, his eye is on you. He sees you in the dark as well as in the light. Then trust to his care at all times. You need fear nought but sin. If you do wrong, you may well fear. Sin will be your oe in this world. Sin will send you to hell in the next. But if you love God, and serve him, you may be bold as a li-on. Then, if the storm comes, look up to God. This will keep you in peace. He tells you that he cares for you. Think of this. Trust to what he says. He will not fail you, nor leave you. CHILD'S FIRST TALES. The snow is now on the ground. You see the roof of that house through the glass, quite white white snow. How can the birds find food, and live from day today? Ido not know howitis. Yet God feeds them. There is a ro-bin red-breast. It has found its way in-to that house. There it sits. So tame! The man could catch it, and he could kill it too; but it has no fears: and it chirps and sings, just ifas there was no snow on the ground, and nought to fear. Sweet bird! I should be like thee. My friends may be poor; they may not know how to get food. But still I should trust my God. Still I should sing his praise. Still I should live from day to day on his word. Then he will not fail me. He will keep me from harm by night and by day. He will be my friend to do me good. O Lord, give me thy grace, that I may cast all my care on Thee. CHILD'S FIRST TALES. 47 No. 47.—Father gone. Well, what is to do ? Why do you cry so ? Oh!Iknowwhy. Their dad is gone far off in that ship on the sea. They love him, and they do not know what they shall do with-out him. They came with him from their home. He gave them both a kiss. He told them to be good and kind to their mo-ther till he came back; and now they take their last look at the ship ; and when it is quite out of sight, they will go home. I hope they will pray that God will keep him safe on the seas, And I hope they will do all that he bade them. Ah! my dear child, if you have a kind fa- ther and mo-ther at home with you, thank God for it. They may soon be ta-ken from you, by death, or in some o-ther way. Then love them and please them while you have them with you. And think much of that nice world, where we shall meet to part no more. CHILD'S FIRST TALES. See how hard at work the men are with their sheep. The snow is on the ground, and they are full of fear that the sheep may be lost, or not get what food they want. So they do not stay at home by the fire all day. They do not mind the cold. They have just come to one poor sheep in time to save its life. It would soon have died ; but good care will save it. The men will take it home, and keep it warm, and give it good food, and then it will soon come round. Now what this man does for the poor sheep, Christ does for us. Christ, you know, is the good Shep-herd. He takes the lambs in his breast. And the poor sheep he does not drive hard. He is so kind to those who feel the weight of their sins; to those who feel they are sick and ill in soul. And when the storms of life would kill them, he hides them safe from harm; and then, when they die, he takes them to hea-ven CHILDS FIRST TALES. 49 No. 49.—Birds’s Nest. These birds have made their nest. How much pains they take to make it. They had to fly with each branch in their mouth a long way. Then they twine them close and tight. Some birds get mud, and lay it smoth in-side the nest, to keep out the wet and cold. ‘Then they get wool, and lay it in the nest. Some times a sly bird will steal a bit of wool off a sheep’s back. There you see one bird on her nest. She has laid her eggs, and now she waits till the young ones come out. She does not like to leave her nest, lest the eggs should get cold. So her mate feeds her. There he his, you see, with a worm in his beak, which he has just got for her. I am sure when you think of all this, you will say with me, that that child must have & hard heart, that can rob a bird’s nest. CHILD’S FIRST TALES. No. 50.— Young Birds. When the bird has sat her time on the eggs, the shells break, and out come the young birds. Oh! the bird is so glad when she sees her young ones. And now she can leave her nest fora time, and go with her mate to seek food for them. When she comes back, they hear her, and then they all open their mouths as wide as they can, and she putsin the worm. And off she goes to get more worms. How great is the care of the poor bird for her young ones. And yet she can-not keep them from all harm. Ifa bad lad comes to rob the nest, the poor bird can-not save them. You are like a poor weak bird in a nest. You can-not take care of your-self; you can-not get food for yourself. You have foes that would hurt you. But God can do all for you: and he will, if you trust in him. He will keep you safe un-der his wings. CHILD'S FIRST TALES. 51 No. 51.—Robbing the Nest. That boy must have a heart of stone who can rob a bird’s nest. What pains the birds took to bring the sticks to build it, and the mud to line it, and the wool, and moss and hair. The wind might blow hard, but still they went on with their work. Frost and cold might lead them to fear that their eggs would spoil ; but still they would go on, And the poor hen bird sat close on her nest, though the snow fell on her, and her mate high up in the tree, sang his sweet song to cheer her, and brought her worms and food. Then the young birds broke the shell; and oh! she was so glad. But all at once her joy ends. - Three bad lads came to the wood. One Spies the nest. Round he turns to the o-ther two, and down they pull it and take it home! Now the poor birds sit up in the high trees, so sad. No sweet song is heard. How can they sing, when all their dear young ones are torn from them. No. 54.—The Lighthouse. I dare say you do not know what a light- house means; but I must tell you. You know the ships at sea must sail in the dark night, as well as in the light day. Now, there are rocks on the shores, and if a ship get on a rock, it would soon be lost; the rock would break the side of the ship, and let the sea in, and then the ship would soon sink. What then is to be done, to keep the ships off the rocks in the night ? They build what they call a light-house near the rocks. It is a great height up ; and as soon as night comes, they have a large light at the top, and glass round it, so that ships, when a great way off, can seeit. And then they know they must keep off the part of the sea where they see the light. And in this way they are kept safe. CHILDS FIRST TALES. 5D dead! Yes, they tried if they could bring her round, but she was quite dead. There was good ground to hope she was fit to die; and if so, she had a short and ea-sy way to heaven. Oh! how you should pray that when death comes to you, you may be fit for it. No. 55.—The Sweep. Poor sweep! there he goes. TItisa sad life to lead. T think you would not like to be a poor sweep boy, and to go up the chim- ney. I wish some-thing else could be done to sweep our chim-nies. I do not like to see the poor sweep boy go up. Some times it is too hot for them; and they get burnt. Some times it is too small, and they can scarce Squeeze up. And [ have known a poor Sweep stick fast; and there he was left to die ! Second Series. F see il i oe alien Sas This good man’s time has come for him to die. Hecould no more do his work. He could no more be of use to those whom he did love in this world. His strength fails him, He can-not bear to walk, or to sit up. He must now keep to his bed. But is his heart sad, and does he wish that he was well? Is that a bed of grief and tears to him? Ah! no. Jesus is with him there. Christ's peace dwells in his heart. The world dies from him; and he dies from the world; but he is glad to get near to his rest in the sky. There no bad men will hurt him; there no sin will vex him; there he will no more say, “Iam sick.” There God will wipe off all tears from his eyes. Fe calls his dear wife to read to him of all this in God’s word. Itis his chief joy to hear of Christ and hea-ven. And he tells his dear wife not to ery ; for she will soon be with him there. Odiwir?e’ D UnFI2LD No. 57.—The Dy ying Mother, My child, you must not think that your dear friends will not di No, though you love them so much, and think it would bre uk your heart to part with them ; yet part wit them you must. James White had a dear mo-ther, of whom he was so fond. sut one day she said, “dear James, I feel so ill, I think] shall not live long. Jo not fret. [ do not like to leave you; but I do like to 20 to my best friend, Christ, up in the sky, You would not wish to ke¢ ep me out of that nice place, and from Him whom T love best. dear James, you, and do And when I die, do not dou but that Christ will be ath more than I could do for you.’ Now this was all right; but poor James was so sad that he knew not what to do. And when he saw his dear mo ther sic! and pale in bed, he knelt down to pr ay, tha God would not let her die, put make her well. b) t peeamrara ae ee sae) BES Ce =e pra asi ay Soh eee = LP ag Blacks Praying. ying Is not this a nice sight? Once these 4 poor blacks knew not God. They made the ee sun or the moon, or stocks and stones their gods. They were fierce and wild too. They did steal and kill, and when they did kill a / = man they would eathim up! But good men a have gone to preach tothem. They have told them how wrong this is, and that they will go to hell, if they do so. ‘They have told them of Jesus who died on the cross to es save both black men and white men from the wrath to come. ‘These good men have 1 ! yh! cried to them, and said, come to Jes-us, come to Jesus; he waits to bless and save vou. He will change your hearts of stone, and give you hearts of flesh. He will make all clean and good. He will make you lambs of his fold. , And the poor blacks weep to hear the good news. ‘They love the good men who tell CHILD'S FIRST TALES. 59 them of Jesus. And now they turn from their bad ways, and love and serve God. Are you not glad to hear this ? No. 59.—Selling a Slave. This is a sale. It is not a sale of a cow or a horse, but the sale of a poor black boy. There he stands on the tub. And that man at the desk will sell him to the man that will give most for him, poor boy! I hope he will get a kind mas-ter, who will not beat him and starve him ; and who will be kind to his soul, and teach him to read. Blacks have souls that can not die, as well as whites. * You would not like to be that poor black boy, I am sure. Thank God, then, that you are born in this good land, where there are no slaves. God has been kind to you. You have friends and a home of your own, and all that you san want. I hope the time will soon come when there will be no slaves. What is to do now? ‘That poor man ithe looks as if he was shot. What is to do. &% Oh! he may well look strange. He had just got up, and had sat down to his break- fast, when the post brought a news-paper. He read on, till at last he came to some news from sea. ‘There had been a storm at sea. All the ships could not ride out the storm safe. One fine ship, the Hope, be- came a wreck, and all on board her were lost in the sea. Now this poor man had a son who had been a great grief to him. And he would have his own way, and off he ran to sea. And he was on board this ship, the Hope, which was lost. Oh! to think of a child, and a bad child, thus cut of in his sins, and sent to the Judge of the quick and the dead. The poor fa: ther may well die of grief. No. 61. Balaam’s Ass. Do you know that God did once make a dumb ass to speak. There was a bad man whose name was Ba-laam. He would do what God would not have him to do. He would go in a way that was not right. So God sent an an-gel to stop him in the way. Now the ass saw the an-gel, and she would not go on, but went in-to a field. And Ba-laam smote the ass to turn her in-to the way. At last God made the poor ass to speak ; and he said to Ba-laam, “What have I done to thee that thou hast beat me these three times? Am not I thine ass, on which thou hast rode ever since I was thine, to this day? Was I ever wont to do so to thee?” And he said, Nay. Then Ba-laam saw the an-gel of the Lord stand in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand, and he bowed down his head, and he fell flat on his face. ae ent sn RP Rog eect amet 62 CHILD'S FIRST TALES. No. 62.—Wise men from the East. When Christ was born, there came wise men from the east to wor-ship him. They were led by a star which they saw in the sky, to the place where he was. They knew that he was born to save the world, and they gave him gifts, suc has they had. Now, should you not give some ‘thing to Christ? Yes, he came to save you from hell. You owe all to Christ. I will tell you what gift he wants from you. He says, “my son, give me thine heart.” Give then your heart to Christ. Pray that he would make it his. ‘That he would cre-ate in you a clean heart; that all the thoughts of your heart may be his. Give Christ your fear : give Christ your love. Give Christ your time. Give all to him. He gave all he had for you. He gave his own life on the cross. He died that you nizht live. CHILD'S FIRST TALES. 63 No. 63.—A Good Boy. Jane King had to go from home to work. She could not take her poor boy and girl with her ; so they staid at home. But John was a good ey te did as he was bid; so Jane had no fez She knew that he would take care of his sis-ter Ann. When she was hun-gry, he got some milk, and a pan, and made the Aitk hot, and put in some bread, and then he got a spoon and fed her. There he is, so pleased that he has done his work so well. And if his mo-ther has to Stay out late, and lit-tle Ann wants to go to bed, he hears her her pray-ers, gets her night cap, wash-es ee hands and her face, and then puts her to bed. So Poor Jane King, when she comes home from her work, finds that her dear boy has done all right as he was bid, and she can lay 5 & her head down on her bed with peace. ee eegigaa cess - i Sp eka wer eer ee eee tne en No. 64.—The Hare. Will Green, in one of his nice walks, heard @ noise in the grass, and soon a fine hare leapt out. Will ran to catch it, and he thought he could do so; but he could not. Puss was too swift for him, and ran safe off. There was once a man who had hares in his room. ‘They were quite tame, and would hie by the fire with the dog or the cat. ~ They were full of play, and would run round and round the room, just as they do in a field. Would you not like to see such a sight? How sad it is for men or boys to be cru-el to the poor hare. It is only when they set them on the hare, that they hunt and lull poor puss. All beasts may be made to live in love with each o-ther. And the time will come when it will be so through all the world. When Christ reigns through all the world, the world will be full of love and peace. Yes, the wolf shall lie down with the lamb. You know what a shop is. In a shop they sell all kinds of things. The clothes you wear, the food you eat comes from the shop. The man who kee ps the shop gets his goods ae all parts of the world. Tea comes from a far off lan d. So does su-gar. Your coat is made of wool which grows on the sheep’s back. Cheese is made of milk which the cow gives. How would you like to be a shop-l oy? You must turn to some trade when you grow up. It will not do for you to be i- dle. See that child; he is so glad; his mo-ther gave him some pence. He was a good boy at school. And now he has gone to sp¢ nd it at the shop. What do you think he will buy? Some nice thing, ] am sure. And 1 then he will go home so glad. No. 66.—The Poor Vi We read in the Bi-ble of a poor W: She had no one to be kind to her; and she was in great grief. Tor some bad men ‘had done wrong to her. So she went to the Judge to be her friend. He had some thing else to do, and he could’ not hear what she had to say. But still she said to her-self, that she would go once more and once more, till she got the Judge to be her friend. Now, he was a bad man, or [ am sure he would not have done thus to a poor sad wi-dow. But at last he said, I want to get rid of this wo-man, for she plagues me, she comes so often. I had best give her what she wants, and then she will go a-way. And he did so. Now learn from this, that if a bad Judge will give a poor wi-dow what she wants be- cause she plagues him, how much more will our good and kind God give us what we want, if we do but pray much to him and not faint ? idow. fo CHILDS FIRST TALES. 67 SS - No. 67. The Nacklace. There is a school. Jane Dent had just come to it. She did not know the rules of the school, so she came in a fine neck- lace. So the la-dy spoke to her, and told her that she did not like her chil-dren to wear such things. Jane did not cry and look sour as some would do: but she took the neck-lace off, and went up with it to the lady. I think the la-dy was quite right, and I shall tell’ you why. In the first place, a love of fine clothes will erow more and more: and a poor child, if she can-not get what she wants, may be led to pick and steal to get fine clothes, In the naxt place, when you call-to mind how soon this vile bo-dy will die, and be the food of worms I think you will not wish to deck it out witha neck-lace, or ear rings, or fine clothes. No. 68.—Rich Man and Beggar. We read in the Bi-ble of a rich man and a poor man. The rich man did not love God. He had all he could wish for in this world, but he had not God’s love, for he did not love God, or fear him. So he had no hope for the next world. It came to pass that he died. And his poor soul went to hell. Oh! what could all his wealth, and all the world do for him a re ? Now you ‘shall hear of he poor man. He was sick as well as 6 pow. “He had sores on his legs, and could scarce ly walk. And the dogs would come and lick his sores. He laid at the rich man’s gate, and no man gave him food to eat. It came to pass that he died. And ! what a change! He was a child of God: he was a good man: so when he died, an-gels came and took him to hea-ven. Now learn from this, that you need not ILD S FIRST TALES. 69 care what Your lot is in this life, if you can but get to hea-vemwhen you die. : _ oe No. eye Dark Night. Lit-tle Tom had been a good boy. So his mo-ther gave him a great treat. She let him go to a friend’s héuse to drink tea, and play with James and Charles Bright. At last it got dark, and! he did not know how he should get home. But his dear mo-ther did not for-get him. So she sent his nurse to take him. “But how shall we find our way in the dark,” said Tom TOR te shall go quite well, my dear,” said the nurse. sf ave got a can- dle i in a lan-tern.” So off they set. And lit-tle Tom found no-thing in the dark to burt aes and make him fear, It was so nice to see the bright stars, and so nice to have alan-tern: and then hi that his God was with him b a as by day : so that I epics he walk as much as his tea and met pli oo in pore aati ie eS Sete ee pert toes ee ig mets No. 70.—Birth of Christ. You know when Christ was born, there was no room for him in the inn where his ya-rents were. But he was born in the sta- ble of the inn. Now we should learn from this not to think much of a\fine house, and grand things. We may well like a low lot =n life, when Christ, the Son of God, choose to be born in-to the world in a sta-ble. And you know when he grew up, he had not where to lay his head. And some-times he had no food to eat. “Fox-es have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head.” Now when Christ was born, there were some men in the field who kept watch with their sheep by night. And lo, the an-gel of the Lord came to them, and they were full of fear. But the an-gel said, “ Fear not, for I bring you good news; to you is born this day a Sa-vi-our, which is Christ the Lord. CHILDS FIRST TALES. FI And this shall be a sign to you; Ye shall find the babe in the sta-ble. How glad they were when they found Jesus. No. “1. ei Kirk Poor Jane had lost her best friend in this world. She was left with one child, whose name was Ann; and her whole care was to bring up Ann in the fear of the Lord. So she taught her to read, as well as to sew and to knit.. And when night came, they both knelt down, to thank God for his care of them through the day, and to pray that he would still take care of them through the night. When morn came, they knelt down once more.“ And so their days were spent. God did not fail to bless them and do them good; andthey did not fail to thank him, and to seck his care and love. And Ann grew up to be a good child, and to do all that she was bid. She niade her dear mo-ther’s heart to sing for joy. No. 72.—The Blind Man. Poor blind man! He has no eyes to see the bright sun, or the sweet flowers. No eyes to see his dear friends. Allis quite dark with him by day, as well as by night. He can not work to get food, so he must beg. And there he goes with his dog tied toa string to lead him. I do not see that the dog can be of much use, but he likes to have it. Now he comes up to James Spence and his father as they take their walk. James had a kind heart, and he felt for the poor blind man. Now he had got some pence which he meant to spend at the shop for him-self; but he thought in his heart, God has been kind to me: I have eyes to see, and friends to take care of me; and this poor blind man has none. So he shall have my pence. CIIILD’S FIRST TALEs. No. 73.—The Ice. You know that there are four parts, or sea-sons, in the year: spring, sum-mer, au- tumn, and win-ter. It is nice to see the flow-ers grow in spring, and the fruit in the sum-mer, and even cold win-ter has its charms. You then know what it is to have a nice warm fire, and a snug house by day, and a bed by night. And then what fine fun there is out of doors. When the ice is hard and safe, we see some boys skait on the ice, and some slide: and though they get a fall now and then, it is nice fun, and keeps them so warm. How would you like to live in a place where, all the year round, there is lit-tle else but frost and snow? That, you think, would be too much of a good thing ; and yet they who live there do not mind it : and are ast as hap-py as you are in your own dear land. Second Series. H tM i CHILD’S FIRST TALES. DUPER No. 74,—Noise in the dark. Some boys and girls are apt to give w ay to fear in the dark. It is w rong to do so. I am sure that boys and girls who think of God, and put their trust in him will not fear inthe dark. For is not God with us by night as weil as by day? The night is not dark to him. He sees the same at all times. And what can come to you without his leave 2? Some boys and girls, when they go to bed, if they hear the least noise, will put their lead in the clothes, and fear to move. But this is wrong. W1] hy should you give way to fear? It may be a mouse in the wall that makes the noise ; or it may be the wind. Once a young man heard such a queer noise all the night through, that he did not know what to make of it. But he jay quite still till it was light, and then he -_ CHILD’S FIRST TALES. 75 found it was the cat. Poor puss leapt on the bed, and was quite glad to see him. My child, it isa good rule to fear nought but sin. N 0. 75. 5.—The Fear Gad Cubs. There is a bear and its two young ones. They call them cubs. Though the bear is so rough and seems so fares: yet it has a strong love for its cubs, and takes great care of them. God gives the brute beasts, yes, the most fierce of them, this love. If it was not so, how could they geton? They would soon die. You know we read of bears in God’s word. ‘The wise man says, “let a bear rob- bed of her whelps meet a man, ra-ther than a fool in his fol-ly.”’ The wise man seems to think, that a fool would do one more harm than a bear. And so itis. A bear could but hurt the body; a fool-ish, bad man can hurt the soul. Sora ase ea ner BIT NAP lee oa aes Be Soa eK rir: CHILD’S FIRST TALES. “O.dewitt se No.7 6.—Dame Black. Dame Black took in'te nurse poor chil- dren who had no-friends. She was well paid to do this, and she ought to have been a kind friend and mo-ther to these poor lit- tle dears who had no one else to care for them. But Dame Black had a hard, bad heart. She was so cross to them, that they could not bear to see her. If she came near them, their poor hearts did beat with fright, and they did all they could to get out of her sight. ‘Though they had done no- thing wrong, she would take the birch rod, and whip them till they fell down as if they were dead. There she is at her cru-el work. How can you be so cru-el? Nor did she give them good food to eat: and it was thought that one poor child died for want of food. So Dame Black was found out in her bad ways. And they took her to gaol, and there CHILD’S FIRST TALES. 77 she was for a long time, that she might think of all her sins, and do so no more. Oh! thank God, my child, if you have kind, good friends. No. 77.—Slaves. Poor slaves! How I feel for you! I ly | thank God that I was not born a poor black # | slave. See how they drive them on with et | whips. ‘That poor boy ! ! I wish I could get 3 } hold of him and take care of him. How kind I would be to him. There they go to the sea shore, and then they will put them in © 7 the ship, md take them off to work hard, © Some will die in the ship of grief, and some will be so sick that they w ‘ill die. But no _. one will care for them. But how gladwe | should be that our good king will notletus — | '- have more slaves. No, there willnowbeno ~~ 7 " more made slaves. Is not this nice? And ; fe 7 those who have been slaves are now made free, T am sure we should thank God for this. H 2 No. 78.—The Fault, If you have done wrong, it is best to tell it at once. You know the hymn says: “For he that does one fault at first, And lies, to hide it, makes it two.” Jane Burn was a good child; but one day she got hold of a glass which she knew she ought not to touch, and down it fell. Now she might have said no-thing, or she might have told a lie to hide it, but what good would that have done? for she would have known no peace of mind, All would be sad in her heart. So she thought it best to go at once to her dear mo-ther. She burst in-to tears ; threw her arms round her neck, and told her all. Jane’s mo-ther said to her, Well, my dear, 1 hope you will mind, to do, as | bid you in times to come ; but cheer up: Iam glad you have told the truth. Give me a kiss, and think no more about it.” CHILD’S FIRST TALES. 79 No. 79 —The Black Men. Now the poor blacks learn to read. They knew not the true God, or Christ, till good men went to teach them. Now they love to hear of good things, and to read of Christ as the way, the truth, and the life. They sit on the conan: in the shade of the trees, and are so elad to have God’s word to read. Are you not glad to give pence to send good men to teach these poor blacks ? I am sure you ought to be so: for how kind God has been to you. He gave you all your good friends. You have long had a Church to go to. You have been taught to read as soon as you could speak. How sad it will be if the poor blacks get to hea-ven, and you should be shut out. “Pray, my dear that you may give heed to the things which make for your peace. seer Se CHILD’S FIRST TALES. No. 80.—Dame Spence. Old Dame Spence had long kept a school, and done much good in the place where she lived. The boys and girls were all fond of her, she was so kind to them; though she made them do as sbe bid them; and took great pains to bring them on with their books. Now, if the old dame took a walk, and met a boy or a girl they would not run off, as if she would hurt them, but they were quite glad to see her. One fine hot day, when the good old dame had done school, and got her tea, she put on_ her cloak, and off she set to see poor Ann Long, who was in bed ill. Now as she went on the road, Charles and Ruth White spied her. They had leave to get some fruit for them-selves; but when they spied Dame Spence, they went through the gate and took her all the fruit they had got. ‘They were more glad to give it to her than to eat it them-selves. CHILD’S FIRST TALES, sl No. 81.—The Cat. One day as that good man was hard at work with his books, he heard a noise in his book shelves. He could not think what it was. At last he got up to see; and there, at the back of the books, he found poor puss had made her nest, and had four young ones. You may think he did not quite like it ; but he could not be cross with his cat, for she knew no bet-ter. He brought one of the young ones out, and the cat was in such a fuss, lest. he should hurt it and take it off. And when he put it on the ground, she took it in her mouth, and went off with it to her nest, where she had leave to stay till her young ones could do for them-selves. Deh EATON ete GR Aaa. SEARS ag BEY ne i Rates: a Sony abies ote rae rin ET 1g PEIN Sw THe pearance = Me ep pega, No. 82.—The Church Yard, Ann Crump was one of ten. They had but a small house to live in, and there was so much noise, that she could not read or learn her tasks as she could wish. Now, the Church yard was close by: so when she had done her work, she took her books, and went and sat on a grave stone. Then she read, and got her tasks for her school. She thought it a good place to do this. The graves all round her brought to mind that she must die ; and as she saw small graves as well as great ones, she could not but think that she might die while she was young. Then there were the graves of her own dear friends. And she thought of them till tears came in-to her eyes, and she said to her-self, I will take pains to know God’s will and to do it, that when I die, I may join those who now live in the sky. ; CHILD’S FIRST TALES? No. 83.— The Sun-flower. This is a sun-flower. ‘They say it al- ways turns to the sun. And if it is true that it does so, I think it shews you what you should strive to do. And what do you think that is? Why, turn to Him who is your Sun; 1 mean Jesus. He is your Sun, for he can shine in-to your heart, and teach you by his Spirit. He is your Sun, for he can cheer and make you glad. He is your Sun, for he can make you to bear much fruit of grace. Then turn to Je-sus with your whole heart. He tells you to look to him. When you pray, you turn to Je-sus. When you read God’s word, you turn to Je-sus.. When you think of good things, you turn to Je-sus. 84 CHILD’S FIRST TALES. 111} it "0. 84.—Bad Boy. Will Smith has been a bad boy, and he must feel the cane, It is hard work for you to think it kind in your friends to whip you, but if you grow up to be a man, I’ am sure you will think so. God’s book says, he that spares the rod, hates his son. If you had your own way, you would go from bad to worse. Your friends know what is best for you. But see that good boy, John Brown. He does not like to see Will hurt, though he knows he has been a bad lad. So he goes and begs that he may be spared this once. Boys should feel for each o-ther. If one is in grief, the o-ther should feel grief too. I dare say the good man will do what John Brown asks for. He will, I know, please him if he can. A t fi Sona Series. I I CHILD’S FIRST. TALES. No. 85.—The Sticks. There they go with their load of sticks. There was a kind man who had cu down a large wood ; and he told the poor folks near his house, that they might go and take home the sticks for their fires. So off they went, old and young, quite glad to have sucha nice help. The lit-tle girls were quite glad to be of use. I hope you, my child, like to be’of use. Your mo-ther has done much for you, and you should be glad to do what you can for her. Now think what you can do. It may be that you can get her some sticks in the lane for her fire. Or, she may want some wa-ter from the well; or she may want you to go to the shop. Let your dear mo-ther see that you like to do what you can to help her. 8 CHILD’S FIRST TALES. No. 86.—James Hope. James Hope was a poor man, but he wasa good man, and he was as hap-py as the day was long. "He had anice small house, which was kept neat and clean, and there he and his wife, and his boy, and girl spent their time in the fear and love of God. One cold dark night, when they had done their work, and had sat down by the fire, they heard a tap at the door. ‘The snow fell, the wind blew, and they could not think who could come at such an hour. ‘ Who is there ?” said James Hope. ‘A poor man who has lost his way in the snow,”.said a low voice. *“T am on my way home, and I thought I must lie down and diein the snow; but 1 saw alight, and 1 came toit,andhereJ am. Oh! will youlet me sit by the fire till day breaks ?” “ That I will,” said James. So he took the poor man in ; got him some hot milk, and did what he could for him. 87 CHILD’S FIRST TALES. They who love God will love all men too, : and will be glad to do a kind turn for those who need it. No. 8 f There is a good boy who loves his book. L 4 And he does not read on, and not think what 4 {i is meant by what he reads. If he comes to i nt a hard part which he can not make out, he : stops, and says, “ and please, what does this mean?” This is the way to grow wise. You must think of what you read. And do not pass a hard part, till you quite know what it means. Now is the time tolearn. By and bye, you may not have kind friends to teach you. | ‘And how you should thank God for your hi kind friends, It ishe who gives them to you. fa Take heed to what they say unto you. They = know best what is good for you. And they do all for your good. 88 CHILD’S FIRST TALES. No. 88.— Heathen Gods. God’s Word tells us of those who make to them-selves gods of wood and stone. And so it has been in the days that are past, and so it is now. You may well think it strange that men can trust in gods of wood and stone. ‘They have no life ; they have no strength ; they ean give no he Ip. And yet the poor hea- then look to them with awe and fear. You have here two of the gods that they serve. You may well take fright at them. I am sure you can not make them your gods. Itis your lot to know the one true God, and Je-sus Christ whom he has sent. Our God, you know, is not like a man, nor is he like these strange things. Our God is a Spi-rit; and though we can not see him, yet he sees and knows all things, and he can do all things. CHILD’S FIRST TALES. 93 No. 92.—Black Boys. I think you will love to help to send good men to teach poor blacks when you hear of their sad state. In one place, they let their boys kill each o-ther! Oh! how you should thank God, that you were not born in such a place ! There you see the poor boy tied to a tree. His bro-ther comes with a knife, and stabs him tothe heart. The fa-ther does not keep him back, but gives him leave to doit. But they will not do such things when they hear of God, and of Christ, of hea-ven, and of hell. The grace of God makes their hard hearts soft, and fills them with love. And where there is love in the heart, no one can do such things. Let us all pray that all may know Christ through the whole world. CHILD’S FIRST TALES, James Finch had long been ill, and was now near his end. He had two boys and a girl who were most dear tc him ; and it was near his heart, that when he was gone, they should live in love and go on well. So one one day he told them to come close to his bed side, and he thus spake to them: “ My dears, I shall soon die. I shall goto Christ, whom I love, and I do not fear to die, but [. long for your good. Now, be sure that it will be for your good to live in love. Now, bring me here a bundle of sticks. ‘Take | one stick by it-self. You can break it at once yousee. But put all the sticks close in one heap. Can you break them now ? No. So if you split, and if strife and wrath get be-tween you, I do not know what harm may come to you. Butif you all keep close in love, then you will be strong to keep off all that would hurt you.” Thus he spake, and then died. CHILD’S FIRST TALES. 95 No. 95.—Ann Wilks. Ann Wilks had two good girls whose names were Jane and Rose. ‘They did all they could to please her and help her. So Ann was glad when she could give them a treat. One day Ann went to the town to buy some things. She told the girls she would bring them something nice back with her. ‘Thank you, dear mo-ther,”’ (they both cried ;) ‘‘it is kind of you to do so.” So when Ann Wilks came home, they went up to her bask-et to see what she had got. And what do you think it was?