{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_16305/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_16305","id":"gutenberg_16305","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16305","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Art","Category: How To ...","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Category: Teaching & Education","Chalk-talks","Moral education","Religious education"],"text":"Produced by Marilynda Fraser-Cunliffe, Laura Wisewell, and\nthe Online Distributed Proofreading Team at\nhttps://www.pgdp.net\n\n\n\n\n\n                         CRAYON AND CHARACTER\n\n\n                  Truth Made Clear Through Eye and Ear\n                                  or\n                  Ten-Minute Talks With Colored Chalks\n\n\n                            B.J. GRISWOLD\n\n\n                       MEIGS PUBLISHING COMPANY\n                        INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA\n\n                                 1913\n                          First Reprint 1918\n\n\n\n\nFOREWORD.\n\n\nAny earnest Christian who is capable of addressing an audience or a\nSunday school class, can, by the aid of this book, give a helpful\nchalk talk. The book has been designed to meet a growing need of this\nimportant phase of teaching.\n\nAny parent, with this book in the home, can use it not only to teach\nthe boy or the girl a simple method of drawing, but may implant in the\nlife of the child the good seed of the Tree of Life.\n\nIn the preparation of these talks, \"Life\" has been the keyword. The\nthought permeates both the text and the style of illustration used.\nIt is also a feature of the arrangement of each talk whereby a\n\"developing\" or \"living\" picture holds the attention of the listeners\nthrough two \"scenes\" or \"steps\" of unfolding.\n\nMany of the time-honored symbols will not be found in these pages. The\nAnchor as the emblem of Hope, and the Crown as the type of Victory or\nKingship have given place to symbols and types from nature and from\nthe every-day life of common folks.\n\nMany a smile has been introduced. And why not? We proclaim the Gospel\nas the Good News, the message of joy and gladness. The New Testament,\nwith its glad tidings of great joy, is one continuous song. Always,\nhowever, it has been the aim to lead the thoughts of the listener to\nHim whose Light we are to reflect among men.\n\nThe title of each chalk talk appears twice in the index, in order to\nprovide a wide range of subjects from which to select an appropriate\nlesson for each occasion.\n\nIn his years of experience as a newspaper writer and illustrator, the\nauthor has endeavored to cultivate the art of saying as much as\npossible in a few words and drawn lines. In this book (and in your\nchalk talk work) the same thought applies. As a Sunday school\nsuperintendent and a teacher, the author hopes that many may not be\nafraid to undertake the use of chalk after studying the easy method\nhere described. As a means of enlarging your usefulness as a teacher\nof the Eternal Truth, the book, we believe, contains much that will\nhelp and encourage.\n\nFort Wayne, Indiana.\n\nB.J. GRISWOLD.\n\n\n\n\n\"BEFORE TAKING.\"\n\n\nThere are too many books published which are GOOD for _two things\nonly_:\n\nFIRST--They are good sellers, possibly \"Best Sellers.\"\n\nSECOND--They are good at keeping people out of bed till\nmidnight--because they make such \"mighty interestin' reading.\"\n\nSuch books may make their authors famous and their publishers rich,\nbut if that is all they are good for, we would not care to sell, much\nless to publish, them.\n\nThe book which the reader holds is put out, not because it is bound to\nbe a _good seller_ nor because it is _interesting_, but because\nof its power to HELP Christian work and workers, and of its own\nability to give instruction in righteousness to its readers, old and\nyoung; to sow seed thoughts of truth in human minds and hearts.\n\nAnd who will it help?\n\nAll Christian platform workers in general and the Sunday School\nSuperintendent in particular.\n\nThe Superintendent, especially on all \"Special Days.\"\n\nThe Pastor, especially in the prayer meeting where any kind of help,\n_so it is help_, will be welcomed by most pastors.\n\nIt will be useful to all because of its wealth of material and\nillustration for expressive and impressive _little, big, ten-minute\ntalks_, whenever opportunity offers.\n\nWe commend the book with all earnestness, to these various classes of\npeople, and will insist that no father or mother will ever be the\npoorer, but the richer, who will part with the price and get in\nexchange for it a copy of this book, as a birthday or Christmas gift\nto a son or daughter between ten and twenty years of age. It will help\nparents in the uncertain and difficult problem of rearing their\nchildren in a way that will make them and keep them a joy in the home,\nrather than a heartache, a heart break, and the saddest kind of a\nbereavement, which is too often the case. Surely a dollar spent which\nmay help avert this, is worth far more than a hundred cents lying\nunused in a bank.\n\nThere are sixty-two picture outlines in the book, and with every\npicture a ten-minute talk, with chalk illustration, which recites and\nimpresses, now, a great and noble deed of a truly noble man; now a\nkindly act with a double blessing in it; again, a warning to those who\nunknowingly set foot upon the devil's ground and find it a miry or\nslimy pit; or, it may be a lesson from one of the world's great poets\nor historians, for the author has evidently been a reader of great\nbooks with a mind to recall many lessons learned therefrom.\n\nTHE PUBLISHERS.\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n                                                Page.\nINTRODUCTION:\n  The Plan of the Book ..........................   7\n  The Value of Chalk Talks ......................   7\n  The Two-Scene Method ..........................   8\n  Chalk Work on Paper ...........................   8\n  Materials Are Cheap ...........................   8\n  Important to Beginners ........................   8\n\nEQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS:\n  The Drawing Board .............................  10\n  The Drawing Paper .............................  10\n  The Chalk .....................................  12\n\nPREPARING TO GIVE THE CHALK TALK:\n  The Method Explained ..........................  12\n  Outlining the Right Picture ...................  13\n  Not an Artist, But a Teacher ..................  14\n  Finishing Part of the Drawing in Advance ......  14\n  The Value of Individuality ....................  14\n  International or Graded Lessons ...............  14\n  Talks for Special Days ........................  14\n  Talk vs. Chalk ................................  16\n  Strive Only for Good ..........................  16\n  Recording Your Talks ..........................  16\n  A Word to Parents .............................  16\n  A Final Word to Pastors .......................  18\n\nINDEX:\n  Talks for Special Days ........................ 205\n  Subject Index ................................. 207\n\n\n\n\n    His pictured morals mend the mind\n    And through the eye correct the heart.\n\n                --GARRICK, _on Hogarth_.\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION.\n\n\n~~The Plan of the Book.~~\n\nIn the preparation of this book the author has had two great plans in\nmind:\n\nTo prepare a work which will enable _any person, who can speak to a\nclass or an audience, to give a helpful, inspiring illustrated\ntalk_; to place in the hands of parents everywhere a book to enable\nthem to teach the children a simple, fascinating method of drawing\nand, at the same time make the great truths of life a part of their\nevery-day learning.\n\nClear instructions are given as to the method of doing these two\nthings. Then come sixty-two complete talks of special appropriateness\nfor Christian teaching. If you are included in the following classes\nof workers, the book should be of special value to you:\n\n(a) Speakers who earnestly want to give illustrated talks, but\nwho feel that they \"can't draw a straight line.\"\n\n(b) Those who are experienced in chalk talk work and are seeking\nnew material.\n\n(c) Teachers of the Uniform Lessons.\n\n(d) Teachers of Graded Lessons.\n\n(e) Sunday school superintendents, for platform work.\n\n(f) Pastors, for use in prayer meetings and many other services\nof the church.\n\n(g) Temperance workers. In this department of work this book\nis especially worthy of consideration.\n\n(h) Those who need suggestions to help them work out their\nown addresses.\n\n(i) Parents for giving instruction in the home. It is a great\ntruth that such teaching is far more effective than any which the\nchurch or the schools may provide.\n\n\n~~The Value of Chalk Talks.~~\n\nScientists tell us that _nothing which completely occupies the mind\nfor any length of time is ever forgotten_.\n\nThis, then, is the reason that the chalk talk method of teaching is so\nlastingly impressive. People forget everything else while watching a\nspeaker draw a picture. And if they do that, they can never completely\nforget the words of the speaker or the picture he draws. A baby that\ndoesn't know one letter from another can understand some pictures as\nwell as _you_ can. Try him once and see. And if he lives to be a\nhundred years of age, he will receive more lasting impressions from\npictures than from what he reads. Your audience, therefore, may be\ndepended upon to be \"right with you\" from the beginning.\n\n\n~~The Two-Scene Method.~~\n\nAdded to this feature of securing strict attention, we find in this\nbook another help in the same direction: Every talk is given in two\n\"scenes\" or steps. The speaker draws part of the picture, while he\nspeaks, and then, at a little later period, adds the lines to complete\nthe drawing and bring the scene to a climax. In each talk, the upper\npicture is the first scene, and the lower picture is the second scene,\nor completed drawing.\n\n\n~~Chalk Work on Paper.~~\n\nThe book is planned to encourage the use of sheets of book- or\nnews-paper instead of the blackboard. Paper is used by all leading\nworkers with chalk. To discard the blackboard is to take a forward\nstep. However, if you are \"wedded\" to the use of the blackboard and\ncan handle it effectively, you will find all but a small number of\nthese illustrations adapted to your method.\n\n\n~~Materials Are Cheap.~~\n\nProbably your school or church is already supplied with the necessary\napparatus to do all the work as planned in this book. However, for any\nwho may need to provide for himself a drawing board and easel,\ninstructions for making them are here given. It is only necessary,\nthen, to procure drawing paper and chalk. These are cheap in price and\neasy to get. You are urged, therefore, to proceed with the use of\ndrawing paper as here instructed, and to lay aside the blackboard for\nthe more advanced method.\n\n\n~~Important to Beginners.~~\n\nEach drawing in the book, as already stated, is given in two \"scenes,\"\nin order to show you how your drawing will look _when it is partly\nfinished_ (first scene), and how it will look _when it is\ncompleted_ (second scene).\n\nIf you are at all \"bashful\" about taking up the work, let us make this\nsuggestion: In the seclusion of your home or elsewhere, draw the\n_first scene_ of your talk completely. Thus you will have plenty\nof time to make it to suit you, with no one to look on and fluster or\nconfuse you. Then cover up the completed work, by placing another\nsheet of paper over it. When you appear before the audience to give\nyour talk, give your spoken introduction and lead up to the _first\nscene_. At this point, remove the cover paper and expose your\ndrawing. Proceed with your talk until you reach the climax in the\n_second scene_, at which time you give the picture the final\nlines with your crayon. Many will find this an easy, satisfactory way\nto give these talks--indeed many of the illustrations in the book are\nmost effective if given in this way. Experience, however, brings\ngreater confidence, and many will prefer to do most of their drawing\nin sight of the audience.\n\nDevote yourself to a thorough understanding of essentials, and you\nwill be pleased at the ease with which the field opens. The\nencouraging words of your associates and the echoes of the good you\nare doing will strengthen your confidence.\n\n\n~~Equipment and Materials.~~\n\nThe necessary equipment and materials for the work include the drawing\nboard, the drawing paper and the chalk (or lecture crayons).\n\n\n~~The Drawing Board.~~\n\nProbably your school has a reversible blackboard mounted on an easel,\nlike that shown in Fig. 1. If so, you will find it amply sufficient\nfor your use. The two or three little holes made by the thumb tacks,\nto attach your drawing paper to the board, at the top, will not injure\nit in the least. If you haven't such a board, it would be well to\nprocure one, as it can be used for many purposes. The writer has often\nused a board of this kind in giving chalk talks. The publishers of\nthis book will be glad to give full information as to size and price\nof such a board.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 1]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 2]\n\nAnother convenient and cheap equipment is an ordinary square board,\nFig. 2. If you take six boards, each 45 inches long, 7 inches wide and\n1/2 inch thick, and attach them to two cleats at the back, you will\nhave a good, serviceable drawing board which can be hung against the\nwall with screw hooks and screw eyes; or, it can be set on an easel or\nother convenient holder. It is only necessary that the board be smooth\nand the wood be well-seasoned soft pine or bass wood to keep it from\nwarping. If screws are used to fasten the boards to the cleats, screw\nthem through from the back, leaving the front perfectly smooth. Be\nsure that the screws aren't too long. It would be well to stain the\nboard brown or some other dark color.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 3]\n\nA combination drawing board and easel is shown in Fig. 3, a back view\nof which is given. Take six boards of well-seasoned soft pine, 45\ninches long, 8 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. For the rear legs, use\ntwo pieces 5 feet and 8 inches long, 2 inches wide and 1/2 inch\nthick. A wire should be attached to each rear leg to avoid spreading.\nFig. 4 shows this board and easel in use.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 4]\n\n\n~~The Drawing Paper.~~\n\nThe most inexpensive paper for chalk talk work is the kind on which\nnewspapers are printed. It may be purchased from printing houses,\npaper dealers or newspaper offices. A cheap quality of book-paper is\nalso good, and may be bought from printing houses and paper\ndealers. Ordinary light-colored, light-weight manila paper, such as is\nused for wrapping, is very satisfactory; it may be procured from paper\ndealers, or, if you want but a small quantity, probably any merchant\nwould be glad to supply you. The lines which you intend to place on it\nmay be worth infinitely more than the goods he plans to wrap in it.\n\n\n~~The Chalk.~~\n\nThe writer is accustomed to using chalk made by the American Crayon\nCompany, which can be had at any time from the publishers of this\nbook, and, doubtless, from other publishers. Ask for \"lecture\ncrayons.\" A complete price list, together with samples of colors, will\nbe furnished on request. For general work it is well to have on hand a\nhalf dozen sticks of black and a stick each of green, brown, red,\nyellow, orange and blue. The lecture crayons come in two sizes, one\nmeasuring one inch square and three inches long; the other is one-half\ninch square and three inches in length. If you choose the larger size,\nthe sticks can, when advisable, be cut to the smaller size.\n\n\n\nPREPARING TO GIVE THE TALK\n\n\nThe instructions here given are for the beginner. Others will follow\ntheir accustomed methods. In our introduction we make the claim that\nany earnest Christian worker, who is capable of addressing an audience\nor a Sunday school class can, by the aid of this book, give a helpful\nchalk talk.\n\nYour response may be, \"But, I can't draw.\" Listen! The following\ninstructions will teach you how to do the work without a technical or\npractical knowledge of drawing. Let us take up the matter step by\nstep. When you understand the process, it will be \"as easy as falling\noff a log,\" and it won't jolt you half as much.\n\n\n~~The Method Explained.~~\n\nTHE FIRST STEP--Before the time comes to give your talk, attach half a\ndozen sheets of your drawing paper to your drawing board, making a\nsmooth drawing surface. It is well to use thumb tacks for this\npurpose. Open the book to page 26, for we will prepare to give the\nchalk talk entitled \"The Two Faces.\" The upper picture. Fig. 7, shows\nthe picture partly finished; the lower picture, Fig. 8, shows how the\npicture will look when completed. You will note that the lower picture\nis cut up into squares measuring one-fourth of an inch each way.\n\nTHE SECOND STEP--By the use of a yardstick and lead pencil, draw\npencil lines on the large sheets of drawing paper, so as to separate\nthe drawing paper into the same number of squares as there are on the\npicture in the book. Your paper is much larger than the page of the\nbook; therefore the squares on your drawing paper must be made much\nlarger than the squares in the book. It is easy to calculate the size\nof the squares you should draw on the paper. Measure the width of the\npaper in inches and divide by sixteen (the number of squares across\nthe picture in the book), and this will give you the figure\nrepresenting the size of the squares you are to draw on the paper. If\nyour drawing paper is thirty-two inches wide, your squares will\nmeasure two inches each way.\n\nTHE THIRD STEP--Select one of the squares in Fig. 8 as a starting\npoint, and then find the corresponding square on your drawing\npaper. Having done this, draw a pencil line on your drawing paper,\nwhich will cross your enlarged squares in just the same places that\nthe line crosses the small squares in the book. Continue the process\nuntil both faces have been outlined on your paper in the enlarged\nform. Then, with a piece of soft rubber, erase all of the straight\npencil lines which form the squares, and the remaining outlines of the\ntwo faces will stand out clear and distinct. Already you will have\nfound that you are more of an artist than you thought you were! This\nsheet of paper, with its dim pencil outlines of the picture, is now\nready to be brought before your audience. You must, however, be sure\nof one thing: the pencil outlines must be just plain enough for\n_you_ to see them without difficulty, but they must be dimmed\nwith the eraser to such an extent that your audience _cannot_ see\nthem. Thus you have before you a complete outline of the picture you\nare to draw, and, as you speak, you merely trace over these dim pencil\noutlines with your chalk. Isn't it simple?\n\nTHE FOURTH STEP--All of the preparations up to this time have been\ndone in the quietude of your own room. You are now ready to place your\ndrawing board before your audience. After a smile of greeting you\nbegin your talk. \"Let us,\" you say, \"talk for a little while about our\nthoughts,\" and then you proceed until you reach the reference to the\nsour-faced man. \"Here, for instance,\" you continue, \"is a man with a\nface something like this:\" and you begin your drawing, starting\nanywhere you choose. Take your time, and when you have finished the\nsour face, the audience will show its appreciation with a heartily\nresponsive smile. This completes Fig. 7. Proceed then with the talk\nuntil you reach the reference to the man with the sunny face. \"Here\ncomes a man who looks something like this:\" Draw the second face, and\nyou will have completed Fig. 8 and reached the climax of the\ndrawing. As you make the application of the lesson, you will feel that\nyour effort has already repaid you for the work you have undertaken,\nand each succeeding attempt will make the work easier until it becomes\na pleasing habit.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 5]\n\nIn Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are shown a section of each of the faces of the\ntalk just referred to. Here they are enlarged four times. A-A shows\nthe preliminary pencil lines forming the one-inch squares, B-B\nindicates the pencil outlines of the faces, and C-C illustrates the\ntracing of the pencil lines with the chalk. In this instance black\nchalk only is required.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 6]\n\n\n~~Outlining the Right Picture.~~\n\nIn some of the talks in the book, the dotted squares cover the upper\npicture; in others, they are drawn over the lower picture. In either\ncase, the one containing the squares is the one to be outlined on your\ndrawing paper.\n\n\n~~Not an Artist, But a Teacher.~~\n\nThere should be no hesitation on your part to trace with chalk the\npencil lines which you have placed on your drawing paper. Remember,\nalways, that you are posing as a humble teacher of God's Word and not\nas an artist. Your pencil outline holds the same relation to your\nchalk talk that the minister's notes hold to his sermon. Both are\nprepared in advance to enable the speaker to best present his\nmessage. Do not try to conceal your method. There is nothing about it\nof which you need be ashamed.\n\n\n~~Finishing Part of the Drawing in Advance.~~\n\nNow that the process has been explained in detail, a thorough\nunderstanding of the suggestion under the heading, \"Important to\nBeginners,\" seems most essential as a still easier way to do the work.\nFinishing part of the work in advance still leaves the speaker\nsomething to do, and the audience will always be interested in finding\nout what that \"something\" is to be.\n\n\n~~The Value of Individuality.~~\n\nIt is well for the beginner to cultivate an individual style of\nspeaking. Substitute your own methods of expression in place of the\nlanguage of the book. The more you do it, the larger will be the\nfeeling that the message is a personal one from you to your hearers.\nWhenever you can do so, substitute a \"home\" illustration for the one\nin the book. As you become more accustomed to the work you will\ndoubtless use pictures and subjects entirely outside of the\nbook. Remember that any outline picture may be enlarged after the\nmethod here shown. Cut your picture into squares with drawn lines, and\nenlarge it in the same manner. Many Bible scenes may be shown in this\nway.\n\n\n~~International or Graded Lessons.~~\n\nThe book has been provided with two indexes. One directs you to\nfitting talks for special days. The other serves as a guide to talks\nand illustrations suitable to the application of any lesson. Determine\nthe central thought of the lesson and consult the Subject Index. It\nwill help you choose a talk appropriate for the day. The talk may need\na little revision to enable you to give it the proper application, but\nthe main thought will be readily apparent.\n\n\n~~Talks for Special Days.~~\n\nThe index for suitable talks for special days includes some which are\nnot yet generally observed but which are of growing importance.\nIntroducing some of these into your school or church as novelties,\nthey may become as permanent as Easter, Children's Day, Rally Day and\nothers.\n\n\n~~Talk vs. Chalk.~~\n\nNo matter how little preparation you may need for your talk, remember\nthat the words you speak are of greatest importance. It is to your\nwords that you must give careful study, or your audience may lose the\nforce of your thought while centering their attention upon the\ndeveloping picture.\n\nNever apologize for the appearance of your drawing or of your ability\nas an artist. Strive to present truth only. Truth needs no apology.\n\nDo not draw in a sketchy manner. Determine on the place to begin your\ndrawing and then use a continuous, easy line, without lifting the\nchalk from the paper, except when necessary to start in a new place.\n\n\n~~Strive Only for Good.~~\n\nThe design of this book has been to present brief, impressive talks\nwhich hold attention for from ten to twelve minutes. It is advisable\nnever to speak longer than this, especially when children form a part\nof your audience and are the special object of your words. If you\ncease speaking just when the audience wants to hear more, you will\nalways be assured of a hearing the next time. If you leave one single\nwholesome thought with your audience you will have accomplished the\ngreatest good.\n\nAvoid mannerisms. Cultivate an easy style of speaking and working.\nDon't become discouraged if everything doesn't go to suit you. Your\naudience is not a critical but a sympathetic one. All are striving to\ndo the Master's work, and the field you have undertaken will bring you\nthe interest and the kindliest co-operation of all who are working\nwith but one great object in view.\n\n\n~~Recording Your Talks.~~\n\nIt is suggested that each talk, as you give it, be so marked in the\nbook as to indicate the time and place of its use, so you will avoid\npossible repetition before the same audience months or years later.\n\n\n~~A Word to Parents.~~\n\nThe same general principles of procedure as those here given are\nsuggested as the best method of using this book in the home. For the\nvery little children, the parent will find it well to enlarge the\noutlines upon paper and tell the stories in such a way as can be\nunderstood best, but for the boys or girls who are in the younger\ngrades at school the book describes a method of drawing which will\ndelight and instruct them. Of course, the parent will have to teach\nthe method to the children, as they will be incapable of understanding\nit from the printed description. With this instruction will come the\nunfolding of the stories of the book and their application. A child,\nwhen he sees a picture of a face or a house or any other object, wants\nto know all about it--whose it is, what it is or what it is for. This\nis true especially if it be a picture which he is asked to draw for\nhimself or which he sees drawn. This enables the parent to give into\nexpectant and waiting ears the great truths of Christ as expressed in\npictures which the child understands.\n\nIt is best, we believe; in instructing those who are old enough to do\nthe drawing themselves or watch the parent do it, to select paper of\nsuch a size as can be used on a desk or table. Ordinary letter-size\nunruled tablet paper is convenient to get and easily handled. Let the\nchild square off the page, under the parent's directions, and then let\nhim do his part in tracing the picture from the book. Doubtless, some\nof the enlarged pictures will be \"fearfully and wonderfully made,\" but\nit is a start in a splendid direction--a start which may have its\nending in the happiness for which every parent longs and which cannot\ncome unless the children begin in childhood to become the companions\nof their parents--companions who cannot be separated in later years by\ndistance or the disturbances of the earthly life.\n\n\n~~A Final Word to Ministers.~~\n\nDo not forget that there is no earthly or heavenly reason why a\nminister should not have a blackboard or an easel on the pulpit\nplatform or in the prayer meeting room to help him keep his audiences\nawake while he tries to drive truth home to heart and mind. It is\nevery preacher's duty to be _interesting_, and if this book and\nthe blackboard, or the equipment for chalk talk work, will help him to\nbe so, then it is his plain duty to buy the book and secure the chalk\nand easel and _\"get busy\" being interesting_!\n\nAnd there is one more thing: Don't forget you can do it--_if you\ntry_!\n\nAnd now, with these general instructions and observations, the book is\ncommended to the use of all who have the love of Christ in their\nhearts and who, as faithful workers, may wish to add one more working\ntool to those they have used so well.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TWO FACES\n    --Our Thoughts.\n    --Optimism.\n\n\"As a Man Thinketh in His Heart, So Is He\"--A Lesson in Character\nBuilding.\n\nTHE LESSON--That our thoughts determine the kind of life we live,\nand often proclaim character in the face.\n\nIf the teacher succeeds in impressing upon the pupil the great need to\n\"guard well thy thoughts,\" for \"our thoughts are heard in heaven,\" he\nwill have accomplished a work of immeasurable good in the life of the\nchild or youth who is the fortunate object of such interest.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Let us think a while about our thoughts. Do you know it is a fact\nthat a man, seated quietly in an easy chair on his front porch on a\nsummer evening, may be sinning against God and man? Yes, it's true,\nfor, as he sits there in the silence, he can hate another man with a\nbitter hatred; he can plan to rob him or burn his house or slander him\nor even take his life. And the worst of it all is that if he allows\nsuch thoughts to rent a room in his head it may not be long before his\nevil designs have become awful deeds.\n\n\"Not many boys or girls think such terrible things, but thoughts of\nthis kind are only the little bad thoughts allowed to grow year after\nyear in the head and in the heart. And do you know, also, that if you\nallow these little bad thoughts to live in your head and heart for a\nwhile, they get so bold and 'sassy' that they insist on taking\npossession of the best room of your head and the parlor of your heart\nand defy you to put them out? The only thing to do is to throw them\nout the very first time they come in.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 7\n(In each instance, the upper picture shows how the drawing will look\nwhen partly finished.)]\n\n\"Let us take a walk down-street and mix with the crowd. Every person\nwhom we see is thinking about something, even though he doesn't say a\nword, and we believe, as we look into the faces we meet, that we can\ntell just what kind of thoughts some of them have. Here, for instance,\nis a man with a face something like this: [Draw the sour face,\ncompleting the first step, Fig. 7.] He looks grouchy; perhaps he is\nvicious, and we avoid brushing against him. Perhaps he has lost money\nin a business deal; perhaps he wanted a political position and didn't\nget it; perhaps a supposed friend has proven untrue; perhaps his\ndisappointment, whatever it is, has made him sour and crabbed. But he\npasses on, and we meet other faces. Here comes a man who looks\nsomething like this: [Draw the happy face, completing Fig. 8.] He\ndoesn't look as if he had a care in all the world, does he? And yet we\nmay find that he, too, has lost money in a business transaction that\nwas full of promise--that he, also, has failed to win a political\nrace; that he has been mistreated by a supposed friend. And yet,\nthrough it all, he has never lost sight of the sunshine. He has\nlearned many a valuable lesson from each of his disappointments, and\nperhaps he has had a good many more of them than the other fellow ever\nknew.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 8\n(The lower view shows the appearance of the drawing completed.)]\n\n\"Now, what has made the difference in these two men? Their thoughts\nhave made the difference. The grouch has, for years, entertained\ngrouchy thoughts. The sunshiny man has cultivated the habit of seeing\nthe bright side of things. That's all there is to it.\n\n\"How about you, boys? And you, girls? What kind of thoughts do you\nthink? I said, you remember, that if bad thoughts get into your head\nand heart, they stick there defiantly. But, listen! If you let good\nthoughts into your head and heart, they, too, will settle down and\nmake their home with you and your happiness is assured.\n\n\"Don't get into the habit of growling because the street car is two\nminutes late. Thank your lucky stars that there is a street car to\ncome at all!\n\n\"Learn to be happy. A smiling face is welcome everywhere. People\nscamper away from a scowling countenance, especially if the owner of\nit insists upon telling his woes and troubles.\n\n\"Remember that happiness depends not upon how many burdens we worry\nabout, but upon how many blessings we are glad about--it depends not\nupon what we have, but upon what we enjoy. God says, 'Let the wicked\nforsake his ways and the _unrighteous_ man _his thoughts_'--that\nis, his unrighteous thoughts. Why? Because God knows that vulgar\nthoughts make vulgar men, and evil thoughts make evil men. So boys,\nmake a practice of chasing them out of your heads as you would drive a\nsnake out of your bedroom.\"\n\n\n\n\nTHE CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS\n    --Christmas\n    --The Needy\n\nIt Is Well to Remember the Poor at Christmas, but it is Infinitely\nBetter to Be a True Friend Every Day.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the true Christmas spirit is that which causes us\nto remember the needy always, whether their need be for the\nnecessities of life or for the love of a real friend.\n\nToo many of us are inclined to shower our gifts and our good wishes\nupon the needy at the glad Christmas season, and then neglect this\ngreat field of service throughout another twelve-month period.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"As we go out upon the street today everybody seems to be happy and\nfull of laughter and good cheer. People who usually pass us by without\nspeaking at all or who merely nod without as much as a smile, act\ntoday as if they knew us very well; they smile real widely and say\n'Merry Christmas!' just as heartily as they know how, and we respond\nto the greeting with a 'Same to you!' with an inner feeling of\nfriendliness that somehow surprises us. It is a time when nearly every\nheart is warmed, and we find our greatest joy in seeing how happy we\ncan make other folks. In every home where children are to be\nfound--and there the Christmas spirit is the merriest--we see the\nstocking all hung in a row, and we are just as anxious to fill them as\nthe owners are to have them filled. [Draw the three stockings,\ncompleting Fig. 9.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 9]\n\n\"Here they are. And when Susie and Johnnie and little Bob come\nscrambling downstairs on Christmas morning their eyes sparkle with\ndelight and our hearts warm with Christmas gladness as we join in\ntheir merriment.\n\n\"But there are other homes. And other stockings--stockings not so\nwarm, not so good--stockings that are darned and patched and worn like\nthis. [With broad side of black crayon change the stockings of Fig. 9\nto resemble those of Fig. 10.] In the atmosphere of Christmas joy in\nour own comfortable homes, do we sometimes over-look the boys and\ngirls in the poorer homes who won't have much of a Christmas unless we\nfill these poor, patched little stockings with gifts to show that\nsomeone cares? I don't believe there is a boy or a girl here who is\nselfish enough to refuse to do such a little thing to bring a glad\nChristmas into a poor home. All we need is to be told where to go and\nwhat to do. [Doubtless you will have planned a way for the children to\ngive remembrances to the poor; this may be presented in a word at this\ntime, reserving the details for the close.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 10]\n\n      \"'At Christmastide the open hand\n        Scatters its bounties o'er sea and land;\n        And none are left to grieve alone,\n        For Love is Heaven and claims its own.'\n\n\"Truly, the Christmas spirit is upon us today. But stop--! Will it\nvanish tomorrow? Will we forget to be kind to those about us next\nweek, next month, next summer? Will we forget that these same little\nworn, patched stockings are there in the same needy homes, and that\nthe boys and girls may need our friendship and help more when it is\nsummer than they do now when so many willing hands are extended to\nhelp them?\n\n\"I hope we shall not forget. Let us remember that the best gifts,\nofttimes, are not those which we can see and touch. The truest gifts\nare those of love and companionship and service--the same fellowship\nwhich Jesus gave to the poor when he was among men. It seems as if His\nheart always went out to those in need, and He helped them, not with\ngifts which fade and wear out and are soon cast aside, but with words\nand deeds which told them that He would be a true friend even to the\nend of the world. 'Christianity,' says Henry Drummond, 'wants nothing\nso much as sunny people, and the old are hungering more for love than\nfor bread. The Oil of Joy is very cheap, and if you can help the poor\nwith the Garment of Praise, it will be better than blankets.\"\nDr. Henry D. Chapin expresses the same thought when he says, 'The cry\nof the ages is more for fraternity than for charity. If one exists,\nthe other will follow, or, better still, will not be needed.'\n\n\"Says J. R. Miller, 'Wanting to have a friend is altogether different\nfrom wanting to be a friend. The former is mere natural human\ncraving. The latter is the life of Christ in the soul.'\n\n\"At no better time than today can we choose to plant again the seed of\ntrue friendship in our hearts. Let us cultivate it and nurture it\nuntil it blooms forth into friendship for everyone who may be helped\nby the love of Christ through us.\"\n\n\n\nTHE KEY TO FAILURE\n    --Temperance Day\n    --Appetite\n\nStrong Drink Opens the Gate to Destruction and Bars the Way to\nSuccess.\n\nTHE LESSON--That strong drink robs its victims of the ability to\nsolve the problems of life.\n\nThis temperance lesson deals with the curse of strong drink in\nespecial reference to its connection with the material success of the\nindividual. Specific opinions of several well-known representative men\nare quoted.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Nearly every man carries in his pocket a bunch of keys. [Write the\nword 'Key,' completing Fig. 11.] When a professional man, for\ninstance, reaches his office in the morning, he may unlock his office\ndoor with one key; with another key he may unlock his desk; with\nanother he may unlock a drawer in the desk; and then, having opened\nhis safe, he may use still another key to unlock his strong box. At\nnight he may look carefully to see that each of these things is again\ncarefully locked before he goes home. And so, we see, keys are for two\npurposes--to unlock and to lock.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 11]\n\n\"Most keys are made of metal and are in our own keeping and subject to\nour own will, but there is another key of which I shall speak, which\ngoes before many a man, working entirely independent of him. And as it\ngoes, it locks the doors which he wishes to enter, and it unlocks many\nanother door which he does not want to enter and forces him to go\nthrough it. I will draw the picture of this key. [Starting at the\nfinal stroke of the letter Y, continue the line, and ending with the\nletters W-H-I-S. Then add the lines to complete Fig. 12.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 12]\n\n\"Let us see for a moment what this key does. It locks the door to\nhealth and opens the door to disease. Sir Andrew Clark, one of\nEngland's greatest physicians, says: 'I am speaking solemnly and\ncarefully in the presence of truth, and I will tell you that I am\nconsiderably within the mark when I say to you that, going the round\nof my hospital wards today, _seven out of every ten_ owed their\nill-health to strong drink.'\n\n\"And again: This key bars and locks the way to good positions, where\nmen may earn the money needed to keep themselves and their families\nprovided with the necessities of life. Many of the great corporations\nare refusing to hire men who drink. Whiskey has locked the door to\nopportunity for them. The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, operating one\nof the greatest systems in the world, has issued a statement to the\nmen who run the trains on its lines which includes these words:\n'Taking one drink of intoxicating liquor is like running passed the\nred light. It is unsafe. The possible line between safety and danger\nin the use of alcoholic drink is dangerously unstable. _Safety_\nlies back of _total abstinence_. The normal man has no legitimate\nuse for alcohol as a beverage, and he has no right to render himself\nabnormal by its use when lives are dependent upon his efficiency.\nNone but normal men should run railway trains. The traveling public\nhas unqualified right to demand and expect none less safe.' This\nstatement deals, not with the moral side, but with the fact that a man\nwho drinks unfits himself for any position of responsibility,\nespecially if entrusted with human life.\n\n\"This key also locks and bars the way to a life of purity and\nhonor. Says the chaplain of the Ohio penitentiary, Dr. Starr: \"The\nrecords show that 1,250 persons have been received into this\ninstitution during eighteen months; of these, 930 acknowledged\nthemselves to have been intemperate.' And the Massachusetts Bureau of\nLabor adds the statement that of 27,000 crimes committed in that\nstate, eight out of every ten were due to intemperate habits, or\noccurred while the criminal was under the influence of liquor.\n\n\"We need not go further to show that this key is truly the key to\nfailure--failure in the attempt to attain to anything pure, right and\nhonorable.\n\n\"No one knows this better than the manufacturer of strong drink. 'The\nhandwriting is on the wall,' says T.M. Gilmore, president of the Model\nLicense League. 'Our trade today is on trial before the bar of public\nsentiment, and unless it can be successfully defended before that bar,\nI want to see it go down forever.'\n\n\"In no better way can we help to bring this victorious end than by\nlending our every influence to cause the world to turn to the true\nChristian life, for then follows 'love out of a pure heart and a good\nconscience and faith unfeigned.' Paul does not say, 'Shun that which\nis evil;' he says _abhor_ it. May this ever be our attitude\ntoward this giant evil.\"\n\n\n\n\nA BUSY LIFE\n    --Pluck and Luck\n    --Industry\n\nA Plucky American Boy Whom the Whole World Delights to Honor.\n\nTHE LESSON--That pluck and perseverance and a \"Try--Try--Again\"\nSpirit can laugh at obstacles and change them into stepping\nstones.\n\nThe following talk may suggest to many of the younger hearers the\nsecret of the true greatness of Benjamin Franklin, who is considered\nby many our foremost American.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Some people trust to luck to carry them through the world. Like\nDickens' Micawber, they're 'always waiting for something to turn up.'\nI have heard of a man who was so pleased at finding a big horseshoe\nthat he placed it over his bedroom door. The next morning, as he\nclosed the door, he jarred the horseshoe from its place and it fell\nand struck him such a blow on the head that he was in the hospital for\na week. Such results as this are likely to come when we depend upon\nluck. Let us remember that luck never figures in God's calculations.\n\n\"I have seen people looking for something like this in their front\nyards. [Quickly draw the outlines of the four-leaf clover in black,\nand fill in the outlines with broad sweeps of green. With black, trace\nthe veins lightly, and then put in the letters to spell 'Luck.' This\ncompletes Fig. 13.] What is it? Yes, a four-leaf clover. And when I\nsaw them looking for it, I thought that they could have been doing a\ngreat deal more good by pulling the weeds in their back yards.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 13]\n\n\"But today we shall talk about a boy who never depended upon luck at\nall. This boy had a pair of sharp eyes, and whenever he saw anything\nto do, he did it. His name was Benjamin Franklin. Did you ever hear of\nhim? Yes, I thought so. This boy worked for his older brother in a\nprinting office in Boston, but the brother used to flog him and treat\nhim roughly. Benjamin knew that they could never get along well\ntogether, so he went away to Philadelphia.\n\n\"In this great city he saw many things which other boys before him had\nnot seen. He saw that the printing art had wonderful possibilities in\nit; he studied and worked hard to improve the business, and today all\nof the printers call him the father of the art of printing. He saw\nthat he ought to know other languages besides English, and so he\nbecame a master of French, Italian and Latin--and luck' hadn't a thing\nto do with it! He saw on every hand many chances to help other\npeople. This prompted him to organize the first police force and the\nfirst fire company in the United Colonies; he organized a military\ncompany; he paved the streets of Philadelphia and taught the people\nhow to keep them clean; he founded a hospital; he invented the first\npractical stove; he accepted many public positions in his earlier\nyears, including that of member of the general assembly of the\ncolonies, deputy postmaster of Philadelphia and commissioner to treat\nwith the Indians.\n\n\"He saw that the common people should have a better chance to get an\neducation, and so he published for many years Poor Richard's Almanac,\nwhich provided them with much that they should have known; he founded\nthe first circulating library, helped to establish the University of\nPennsylvania, and brought into existence the American Philosophical\nSociety.\n\n\"He saw the lightning, just as millions before him had done; but,\nunlike the others, he believed the brilliant display was the evidence\nof a great and unseen power--electricity. By the use of his now famous\nkite and key he proved it to be so, and for a time he was the only man\nin the world who knew what lightning really is.\n\n\"He saw at the time of the impending Revolutionary war the need of\nsomeone to go to England to intercede in the interests of the\ncolonies; and so, when the choice fell upon him, he did not shirk the\nresponsibility.\n\n\"He saw many later duties which caused him to become a member of the\nContinental Congress which made George Washington the commander-in-chief\nof the Colonial army; he helped to write the Declaration of Independence;\nhe was a commissioner of peace to confer with the British General\nHowe; he was a member of the commission to seek the aid of France; he\nwas America's first postmaster general.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 14]\n\n\"_Did Benjamin Franklin depend upon luck?_ Never! His was,\nrather, a five-leaf clover, like this: [Quickly add the fifth leaf to\nthe drawing, and insert the letter P, completing Fig. 14.] 'Whatsoever\nthy hand findeth to do,' says the Bible, 'do it with thy might.' I\nbelieve Benjamin Franklin fulfilled this command; and we can do it\nourselves, if we will. He never stopped to 'knock on wood' to prevent\nbad luck! He had better sense. And I hope we have, too.\"\n\n\n\nTHE KEG and the BUCKET\n    --Temperance Day\n    --Purity\n\nA Temperance Talk Devoted to the Teaching of the Principles of\nPurity of Life.\n\nTHE LESSON--That water as a beverage stands for purity and\nblessing, while spirituous liquors are always an emblem of impurity\nand blight.\n\nThe chalk talk here outlined contains in its illustration an\ninteresting transformation which always commands close attention. The\ntruth it presents cannot fail to leave an impression. It may be well\nto vary the application of the temperance thought to suit your local\nconditions.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"I am going to outline for you a picture of an object which is\neverywhere recognized by good people as a symbol of defiance of the\nlaw, a suggestion of immorality, of poverty, depravity and death.\n[Draw beer keg, completing Fig. 15.] In plain words, it is a beer keg,\nand its close companions are the whiskey barrel, the wine cask and the\ndemijohn! It well represents the liquor traffic as a whole--that\nterrible curse which holds in its grip so many men and boys, whose\nlives might be bright, happy and successful but for its blighting,\nfatal grasp.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 15]\n\n\"No right-thinking man has a good word for the business which makes\ngood men into brutes, transforms honorable citizens into murderers,\nand brings many a prosperous family to rags and misery. The\nsaloon-keeper himself has no good word for the business; he merely\ndefends it because it makes for him a good living with little work on\nhis part. Ofttimes he will not drink a drop himself or allow any of\nhis employes to touch liquor. He is in the business for the money he\ncan get out of it, not caring how much poverty and penury others get.\nWith a low idea of his duty toward his fellow-beings, he argues that\nas long as men and boys will drink the deadly stuff which he sells, he\nas well as anyone else, has a right to profit by their weakness and\ndegradation.\n\n\"'Oh,' says Shakespeare, 'that men should put an enemy in their mouths\nto steal away their brains!'\n\n\"Whenever we hear of a state of lawlessness and anarchy in a city or a\nnation, we can rightly conclude that the government of that city or\nthat nation has lost control of its people. When a man becomes a\ndrunkard and does things which he never thought of doing before, we\ncan rightly conclude that his brain has failed to govern him and that\nit has been deposed by the forces of base appetite. He has lost\ncontrol of himself. That is why a drinking man cannot in these days\nsecure a good position with the large corporations, railroads,\nmanufactories and the immense commercial institutions. The great\nemployers of men have learned that they cannot trust men who, as\nShakespeare says, have 'put an enemy into their mouths to steal away\ntheir brains.' Brains are in demand everywhere--brains and steady\nnerves.\n\n\"So, wherever we look, we see young men learning that the way of the\nsaloon is the way of failure. If they can only be halted in their way\nand be made to look for a moment upon another symbol--a symbol of\npurity and true service--they might be saved from the bitter path into\nwhich they are stepping. [Revise drawing by adding the bail and the\nlettering, completing Fig. 16. If time will allow of the singing of a\nverse of 'The Old Oaken Bucket,' the innovation will prove a pleasing\ntouch.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 16]\n\n\"Perhaps the warnings against liquor have become commonplace to\nyou. Perhaps you feel that you do not need to be told the story of the\ngreat curse. But if the warning comes echoing back to you in the time\nof temptation you will bless the hearing of it, for it may mean\neverything to you and your loved ones and the generations to come.\n\n\"It is the Master who said, 'And whosoever shall give to drink unto\none of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a\ndisciple, verily, I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his\nreward.' But what may one lose when he puts the drunkard's glass to\nthe lips of a young man?\n\n\"Hear the voice of Solomon: 'The drunkard and the glutton shall come\nto poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.' 'Wine is a\nmocker, strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is\nnot wise.'\n\n\"If Jesus held up to us a cup of cold water as the emblem of purity,\nlet us never bring dishonor upon one of earth's greatest blessings.\n\n      \"'Traverse the desert, and then ye can tell\n        What treasures exist in the cold, deep well;\n        Sink in despair on the red, parched earth,\n        And then ye may reckon what water is worth.'\"\n\n                --ELIZA COOK.\n\n\n\nTURN OVER A NEW LEAF\n    --New Year's Day\n    --Gladness\n\nThe Psalmist Truly Says that \"A Merry Heart Maketh a Cheerful\nCountenance.\"\n\nTHE LESSON--That the wearing of a gloomy countenance is\nunpardonable and that \"the smile that won't come off\" is the kind that\nought to come on.\n\nLaughter is catching. The following chalk talk will capture an\naudience and bring genuine smiles as nothing else, perhaps, in this\nbook. It has been prepared for that purpose. While it is arranged here\nas especially appropriate for the beginning of the new year, it may be\nused with varying applications on many other occasions.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"There is a good deal of consolation in the words of Cowper, who truly\ndeclares that\n\n      \"'The path of sorrow, and that path alone,\n        Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown.'\n\n\"Nevertheless, most of us ask for as little real sorrow as possible\nwhile we are treading the pathway that leads to eternal peace.\n\n[It is advisable to begin the drawing of Fig. 17 at this point, and\ncontinue the talk as the picture develops. It is suggested that the\neyes be drawn first, then the mouth and nose, and, finally, the outer\nportions. It adds to the effect, too, to stop drawing at this point,\nallowing the people to study carefully the dull, gloomy expression of\nthe face. Then, as if to put on the finishing touches, draw the lines\nof the forehead. These, of course, are the lines of the nose and mouth\nof the reversed face, but the audience will not suspect the 'trick'\nuntil it is revealed.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 17]\n\n\"And yet, to judge from the way some of us act and look, it would seem\nthat we rather enjoy a protracted case of the miseries! Some folks\nbegin to fret as soon as they are out of bed in the morning; the early\nday brings its worries and cares, the noontide and the afternoon are\nfilled with problems, and night finds them all fagged out and longing\nto take rest in sleep so as to get into condition to repeat the round\nof sorrows and cares which they are preparing for themselves for the\nnext day. Little jealousies, petty rivalries, senseless envyings and\nuseless fears bring wrinkles of care, which are very unbecoming; and,\nbefore we are aware of it, the years have overtaken us, and we\nadvertise our inner selves by this outward kind of sign. [Display\nFig. 17 complete. This finishes the drawing of both scenes or figures,\nsince the second part is merely an inverting of Fig. 17.]\n\n\"But, friends, you know, and I know, that all this--or most of it--is\nall foolishness. We know that 'as a man thinketh in his heart so is\nhe.' If he thinks gloomy things, he will be a gloomy man. If he thinks\nglad things, he will be a happy man. So, let us consider this matter\nnow at the beginning of the new year. Strange to say, smiling is a\nserious thing! It affects our influence, it means much to the\nhappiness of those about us, it has a direct connection with the state\nof our health, and, therefore, with our material prosperity. It is\ntrue, of course, that we are bound to have our little annoyances and\nour depressing sorrows as we go through life; but, surely, we can\navoid most of the troubles which keep us unhappy if we will but lift\nour thoughts above ourselves and employ our time in seeking to comfort\nand brighten the lives of those about us. Happiness is largely a\nhabit, and we can do no better than to 'get the habit\" and let others\ncatch it from us.\n\n\"Let us learn the truth that peace of mind is health to the body, and\nthat it is worth more than we ever imagine. Joy is essential to the\ntruly Christlike life. When the angel proclaimed to the shepherds,\n'Behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all\npeople,' you and I were included, and we have not accepted that\nmessage of great joy, and Christ abides not in us if we do not reflect\nthe sunlight which has come from above.\n\n\"And so I am going to ask that we join together today in 'turning over\na new leaf.' What do I mean? Simply this: To meet our troubles fairly\nand squarely, grasp them firmly and then completely overturn them;\nwhen lo! we shall find their threatenings, their warnings and their\nfearful aspects shall have faded away, and brightness and peace shall\nhave taken their place. [At the beginning of this paragraph grasp the\ndrawing at the bottom, tear it loose from the top, and hold it up\nbefore the audience, inverted, as in Fig. 18.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 18]\n\n\"Truly, 'a merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.' May yours\nremain so throughout the new year and ever after.\"\n\n\n\nTRUE SUCCESS\n    --Lincoln's Birthday\n    --Discouragement\n\nIt is Exemplified by the Life of Abraham Lincoln--Stumbling Blocks\nand Stepping Stones.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the very things which are obstacles in the way of\nmany should be their stepping stones to the higher life.\n\nThe life of Abraham Lincoln is so fraught with good lessons that it is\ndifficult to select that which is of the greatest inspiration to the\nyoung. The illustration here given, however, points the way to true\nsuccess as illustrated by the story of Lincoln's life.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Every one of us is anxious to be a success. [Draw the word 'Success'\nin red, and the rays of light in orange.]\n\n\"But many of us are discouraged and disheartened by seeing before us\nso many big 'ifs' in the way that we give up trying to gain the height\ntoward which our eyes were once lifted. [Draw the wall, with the rocks\nobstructing the way; put in the letters 'I' and 'F,' and indicate the\npathway. Your drawing will now resemble Fig. 19.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 19]\n\n\"Some of us may say, 'IF I had not been born in such an obscure place\nor in such an obscure family, I might have been a great success.'\n\n\"Another might say, 'IF my father had only had the means to give me a\nlift at the right time, I might have been a great success.'\n\n\"Another might say, 'IF I had only had the chance to go to school when\nI was a boy, I might have obtained the education necessary to make me\na great success.'\n\n\"One other might say, 'IF I could only work out my plans without\nmeeting with the discouraging opposition of those who ought to help me\nand co-operate with me, I might be a great success.'\n\n\"Still another might say, 'IF I had only had the opportunities that\nother men have had, I might have been a great success.'\n\n\"And so we might stand and look with discouraged hearts at the 'ifs'\nbefore us and stop dead still.\n\n\"Well, now, let us look into this a little. Let us search the\nScriptures and find a word of comfort. But search as we may, we find\nthe word 'Success' there only once. Why only once? Probably because\nthe Bible has a much bigger and better word, and that word is 'Life.'\n'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life,' says the Master; and again, 'I\nam the Resurrection and the Life.' This wonderful word was often on\nHis lips. To Him, success was life. To live was all that earth could\ndesire. To live was to see in these stones--[Indicate the stones in\nthe drawing]--not stumbling-blocks but stepping-stones to success.\n[Add the letters 'L' and 'E,' completing the word 'Life.'] When you\nand I see the true life, then will all our 'ifs' depart.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 20]\n\n\"Abraham Lincoln was one who saw these stones before him. How did he\nlook upon them?\n\n\"The obscurity of his birth was no 'if' to him--it was the foundation\nof his noble character.\n\n\"The poverty of his early years was no 'if' to him--it was the thing\nwhich caused him to appreciate every blessing of after life.\n\n\"The denial of his means to an education when a boy was no 'if' to\nhim--it caused his maturer mind to hunger after learning, even in his\nlater years.\n\n\"The bitter opposition which he met throughout his tempestuous\npolitical career was no 'if' to him--it softened his nature and drew\nhim nearer to the God of love in whom he placed his trust.\n\n\"No one should envy him his opportunities, for he made every one of\nthem himself, just as you or I may do.\n\n\"It would seem to me, as I look at the life of this great man, that\nthe secret of his success lay in his determination to make every\nstumbling block a stepping stone. In order to do it, he held\nsteadfastly to the hand of God, when, it seemed, all other friends had\nfailed. It was then that he said, 'I do the best I know--the very best\nI can--and I mean to keep right on doing so until the end.'\n\n\"God has not yet given us wings to fly with, but He has given us\nfeet to climb with, and if we use them for all they are worth, we can\nclimb near enough to heaven's gate to step right in when the summons\ncome.\n\n\"Boys and girls, men and women, the opportunity for success--for\nLife--is given to each one of us, just as truly as it was given to\nAbraham Lincoln. We could not have taken his place. Perhaps he could\nnot have taken yours or mine. It is for each of us to work out his own\nsuccess, just as he did.\"\n\n\n\nTHE FRUITS OF RICHES\n    --Humility\n    --Wealth\n\nIf the Love of Gold Controls the Life Naught but Poverty of Soul\nCan Result.\n\nTHE LESSON--That while wealth, honestly earned, may be a blessing,\nthe life devoted to the getting of riches cannot hope for true\nhappiness.\n\nThe Scriptures do not condemn the possession of riches, but they do\nhave some strong things to say against the wrongful attainment of\nwealth and the harmful use of money. The talk here presented is\ndesigned to impress this thought. In outlining the drawing be sure to\nplace the lettering exactly as shown in the design.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"The Bible has a good deal to say about rich people and poor people.\nSolomon, it seems, thought it best to be neither poor nor rich, for he\nwrote, 'Give me neither poverty nor riches,\" and I believe that this\nsentiment would be that of most of us. At any rate, the richer he got,\nthe farther he went from God. But we must have money--enough to meet\nthe needs of our lives. We need it for the buying of our food, our\nclothing, our homes, our books and in a thousand other ways. But I\nhope that none of us will ever reach the point where the governing\nprinciple in our lives will be to get money for money's sake.\n\n\"Money-madness seems to be the dominant characteristic of many\npeople. They appear to think that wealth will gain for them all that\nmay be desired to make life happy. We might illustrate the thought by\nsaying that they sow or plant their money and hope that it will bring\nforth a fruitage of the blessings for which they long. [Draw the bag\nof money, the earth line, the stalk of the plant and the outline of\nthe foliage, all with black.] And what do the possessors of riches\nexpect as a harvest in return for the sowing of their wealth? First,\nlet us put down Pleasure. [Put in the word Pleasure, using red for the\nlettering.] And they expect to be leaders in smart society, so we will\nadd to the list Social Prestige. [Add Social Prestige.] They expect\ntheir associates to be impressed with the evidence of luxury in their\npalatial homes and in all they have and do. So we will add Luxury to\nthe list. [Add Luxury.] And through it all they think they will\npossess that degree of satisfaction and contentment which we call\ncomfort, so we will add this to the list. [Add Comfort.] And, finally,\nlet us add a word to indicate that element which the wealthy sometimes\npossess in a worldly sense, representing their ability to direct the\nhappiness or unhappiness of those who are less fortunate in their\npossession of worldly goods. That word is Power. [Add Power,\ncompleting Fig. 21.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 21]\n\n\"Here, then, is the picture of the result as longed for by the\npossessors of riches, whose lives are devoted to the attainment of\nthings of this world alone.\n\n\"But, alas, how often are bright hopes shattered! 'He that maketh\nhaste to be rich,' says Solomon, 'shall not be innocent.' A glance at\nthe daily paper tells us how true it is that when the love of money\ntakes possession of the heart, pleasure is driven out. How often, too,\ndoes the aspiring social leader find himself outrivalled in the\nfoolish race, and social prestige vanishes. And with such experiences\nas these, the home of wealth loses the longed-for luxury, comfort and\nworldly power. And what has come to take the place of these which were\nonly dreams? [With the broad side of the black crayon fill in solidly\nthe portions of the foliage area, leaving only the word Sorrow. Add\nthe words, \"The love of money is the root of all evil,\" completing\nFig. 22, which shows the root and the trunk of a tree that looks more\nlike the tree of death than \"The Tree of Life.\"]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 22]\n\n\"Such is too often the result of the love of money, which, as Paul\ntells us, 'is the root of all evil.' But, happily, there is another\nside to the matter. Many of the wealthy of the earth have blessed and\nare blessing mankind and in return are themselves blessed. In harmony\nwith the thought, Dr. Van Dyke says: I do not mean to say that the\npossession of much money is always a real barrier to real wealth of\nmind and heart. Nor would I maintain that all the poor of this world\nare rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. And if some of the rich of\nthis world (through the grace of Him with whom all things are\npossible) are also modest in their minds and ready to be pleased with\nunbought pleasures, they simply share in the best things which are\nprovided for all.'\n\n\"None of us may ever be rich in earthly possessions, but even the\nstrife after the money necessary for our actual needs may shut out our\nvision of the things of greater value. Let us always hold fast to that\nwhich is good, remembering always that a good name is rather to be\nchosen than great riches.\n\n\"Let us put out of our lives all envy, all jealousy, all desire for\nthe artificial, and learn the lessons of humility, patience,\nconfidence and good cheer which are all about us if we but turn our\nfaces and our hearts toward them.\"\n\n\n\nTHE CHRIST-CHILD\n    --Christmas\n    --Giving\n\nA Lesson From the Story of the Shepherds and the Wise Men.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the Light that was shed when the Christ-Child came\nto earth now brightens the farthest corners of the world.\n\nNothing is more beautiful and impressive than the story of the\nChrist-Child. It cannot be repeated too often, and it is essential at\nChristmas time.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Let us hear once more the wonderful story of the shepherds who played\nsuch a large part in the first Christmas. [Read Luke 2:8-18. When you\nreach the words, 'Let us now go even unto Bethlehem,' draw the lines\nrepresenting the city, using brown crayon. On completing the reading\nof verse 18, continue the narrative by reading Matthew 2:1-2 and\n2:9-11. When you reach the words, 'the star which they saw in the east\nwent before them and stood over where the young child was,' draw the\nstar, with its rays, in orange, completing Fig. 23. This ends the\nreading.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 23]\n\n\"I wish we could picture to ourselves the scene in Bethlehem when\nJesus was born. We are told that there was such an immense crowd there\nthat Joseph and Mary could find no shelter in the inn, but we should\nknow that this does not mean a hotel, for they had nothing of this\nkind in Bethlehem. Indeed, it would not have been required, because\nall that the thousands of visitors needed was the permission to sleep\non the floor on their own mats which they brought with them. This is\nthe custom even today. It was a sacred duty of every Jew to give\nshelter to his countrymen who were on a journey, so, instead of an\ninn, the real meaning is that there was no room for them in any house\nin Bethlehem. It is probable that the stable in which they sought\nrefuge was a rough cave, such as are to be found in that neighborhood\nnow. So, let us note at the beginning that Jesus, the Savior, was born\namidst the most humble surroundings, and also that when the angels\ncame to announce His birth, they did not choose to tell the good news\nfirst to the rich and the powerful, but brought the wonderful story to\nthe humble shepherds who watched their flocks by night on the\nhillside. But it was not to stop there. No, God wanted the world to\nknow that the kingdom of love which came with the birth of Jesus was\nfor the high and the lowly alike. So, by the brilliant star He guided\nthe wise men from the east to worship Him and place at His feet the\nprecious jewels and costly gifts, which show that they were men of\ngreat wealth and wisdom.\n\n\"So, we see, the coming of Jesus was to bring a blessing to all\nmen. It was to be a kingdom of love which would include the whole wide\nworld, 'for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,\nthat _whosoever_ believeth in Him should not perish, but have\neverlasting life.'\n\n\"Let us remember that God 'gave' His Son to the world--it was the\nfirst and greatest Christmas Gift. We can never repay Him for this\nmarvelous expression of His love. All we can do is to endeavor every\nday of our lives to do good and thus give as best we can of the\nblessings which have come from Him.\n\n\"At Christmas time we seem to have no difficulty in showing kindness\nto those about us. The earth is filled with His spirit, so that in\nmillions of churches and homes throughout the world today we find a\nreflection of the star of Bethlehem in the countless shining candles\nand glittering electric lights which adorn the Christmas trees. [Draw\ncandle flames and rays in orange. Draw tree in green, and use brown to\nfill in the trunk and the foundation. This completes Fig. 24.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 24]\n\n\"Yes, everywhere that we see the sparkling candles or little electric\nlights, let us think of them as reflecting the light of the star of\nBethlehem, to guide us to Him, just as the wise men were guided to\nthat humble manger-cradle in Bethlehem. Many there are, we know, who\nmake merry at Christmas, while shutting Jesus out of their lives.\nThey know not the blessing of the warmth of Christian love which He\nbrought into the world, which is for them, if they will only accept\nit.\n\n\"But let us look at our own lives and see if we are reflecting the\ntrue spirit of Christmas. Some one has said that true Christmas\n_giving_ is true Christmas _living_--living not merely at Christmas\ntime in fellowship with all, but throughout the year, with no\ndifference in days excepting that with their succession we may grow\nmore and more humble and faithful--more like Him.\"\n\n\n\nSEEDTIME AND HARVEST\n    --Sowing\n    --Reaping\n\n\"Whatsoever a Man Soweth, That Shall He Also Reap.\"\n\nTHE LESSON--That the happiness or the unhappiness of middle life\nand old age are the result of the thoughts and deeds of early\nlife.\n\nThe teacher who can help the little children to avoid the\nentertainment of wrong thoughts and the teacher who can eliminate from\nthe minds of the youth the belief that the \"sowing of wild oats\" is a\nharmless--perhaps necessary--touch of life, may feel that he has\naccomplished much. The teaching carries with it the necessity of\nsupplanting wrong thoughts with right ones.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Some of the great declarations of the Scriptures have become so\nfamiliar to us that we speak the words and lose much of their\nsignificance. One great truth which seems to have lost its power with\nmany is that verse in the letter of Paul to the Galatians, in which he\nsays, 'Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man\nsoweth, that shall he also reap.'\n\n\"What does Paul mean? He means simply this, that your life and mine,\nlike the life of the world of nature about us, has its seedtime and\nits time of harvest--that if the seedtime of our early life finds us\nplanting good thoughts, kindly deeds and loving words, the harvest of\nthe later life will be peace and blessedness; if the seedtime of life\nfinds us sowing evil thoughts, bad deeds and ungodly words, the\nharvest will be remorse, bitterness and the suffering which must come\nfrom such a sowing.\n\n\"Everybody who lives fifty years or more has two looks at life; first,\na forward look, and, last, a backward look. It is wise to plan in\nadvance for the backward look by living so that the retrospect will be\ngratifying and satisfying and comforting, and not of a kind to bring\nmourning over wasted years and lost opportunities for doing good.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 25]\n\n\"Let us consider the lesson of nature for a moment. In the springtime\nthe farmer plants the kernels of corn shelled from ears like this.\n[Draw the ear of corn, making first a solid yellow background for the\near and then putting in the fine lines with brown or black.] He has\nevery reason to believe that when the harvest time comes he will reap\na crop of many hundredfold, because each kernel is expected to send up\na little green shoot, like this, and each stalk is capable of bearing\nat least one ear of corn. [Quickly draw the ground line in brown and\nthe corn shoot in green, completing Fig. 25.] And this shoot will grow\nlarger and larger until the stalk is completed, and as time goes on\nand the harvest time comes, the corn will hang in generous ears\nthereon. [With broad sweeps of green, and, if you wish, a touch of\nbrown, complete Fig. 26. This includes covering part of the ear with\ngreen to form the husk.] Note especially this fact, that the farmer,\nwhen he plants the seed, believes that God will send the summertime,\nwhen the corn will grow to its fullness, and also the autumn, when the\nharvest is ready. Just think what would happen if we had no summer or\nautumn--just the springtime. Do you not see that we would soon starve?\nWe would plant the seed and there would be no harvest.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 26]\n\n\"Let us see how very much like this are our very own lives. We do not\nhave a springtime and a summer and an autumn and a winter of life\nevery year. No, we have but one of each during our lives, if we reach\nold age. Springtime is our childhood, summer is our young manhood and\nyoung womanhood, autumn is our middle age and winter comes when the\nhair is white and the footsteps faltering. The first part of a full\nlife is the seedtime, and the latter half is the harvest-time. Some\nof us may think that we may, while we are young, form habits that are\nbad and expect to get rid of them before the harvest-time. Still\nothers of us do not seem to find out very early in life that there is\na seedtime and a harvest-time, and we realize it only after we have\nreached the harvest period, and then we cannot change the character of\nthe seed we have to reap.\n\n\"But that which is true of the one who has sown the seeds of wrong in\nhis younger years is just as true of him who has sown good seeds in\nhis childhood and youth. There is no more comforting thought than that\nwhich comes with the assurance that God will send the rich harvest if\nwe sow early in life the seeds of purity of living and the seeds of\nloving kindness.\n\n\"The wrong thoughts which try to crowd into our childhood and youth\nare like the weeds which threaten to destroy the good grain, and\nsometimes succeed. Let us watch them carefully and uproot them.\n\n\"The Christian welcomes the thought that there is to be a\nharvest-time. The sinner hates the thought; he would that his entire\nlife be a seedtime; but it cannot be. The law of seedtime in life is\njust as firmly fixed as are the seedtime and harvest of nature. Let us\nlearn the lesson. It means life or death to you and to me.\"\n\n\n\nTHE TWO FLAGS\n    --Rally Day\n    --War\n\nBoth of Them Inspire Us to the Best Living--An Illustration with\nMusic.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the same spirit which brings success in war must\nanimate the fighters against evil.\n\nRally Day, which is observed at the opening of the autumn activities\nof most schools, has become one of the greatest days of the Sunday\nSchool year. It should be made a glad occasion of reunion and\nresolution. This talk is unique, in that it combines music with the\nspeaking and the drawing.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"It was fifty years ago, boys and girls, that the terrible war between\nthe North and the South was in progress. On both sides the soldiers\nwere bravely loyal to their cause, for the reason that each great army\nbelieved it was right; each side rallied round its flag--and loyalty\nwas the thing most necessary. In most conflicts, as in the case of one\nnation fighting with another, it is only necessary to bring a war to a\npoint where the weaker is convinced of the superior strength of its\nenemy. Then the war ends and the weaker is still a nation and has lost\nonly that which was destroyed during the course of the struggle,\ntogether with that which may he demanded as concessions by the\nvictorious army. Both nations retain their existence as before. It was\nnot so with the struggle between the North and the South. Before this\nterrible war could end, it was necessary that one or the other of the\nfighting governments be wiped out entirely _as a nation_.\nOtherwise there could never have been any peace. This is what made the\nwar one of the most terrible in the history of the world.\n\n\"It was a time when loyalty was demanded by both sides to the\nconflict, when men were summoned to rally round their flags. On the\nside of the North the soldiers bravely gathered in hosts of hundreds\nof thousands around this flag, which is now beloved throughout our\nreunited states (while the South was just as true and brave and\nsincere in the belief that they were right, in their convictions, and\nfor which they fought).\n\n[As you draw the United States flag, in red, white and blue, Fig. 27,\nhave the school sing \"The Red, White and Blue,\" or have the song sung\nas a solo or played by orchestra, pianist or organist. This makes a\nvery effective feature, as some time is required to draw the flag. Be\ncareful to construct the flag properly. To save time, use only\nthirteen stars.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 27]\n\n\"Why did the boys in blue rally round this flag? It was not because of\nits beauty, even though we think it the handsomest flag in all the\nworld; it was not because it was made of valuable materials. No--it\nwas because it stood for something--for liberty, for unity. And they\nknew that in order to uphold the principles for which it stood they\nmust cling together and fight manfully. Each might fight bravely by\nhimself, but disaster would come unless they worked together and in\nharmony.\n\n\"We, today, are like the boys in blue in the dark days of the war.\nWe, too, have a flag which we love dearly--the banner of the cross.\n\n[While you draw the conquest flag, use the song \"The Banner of the\nCross\" in the same manner as before. When completed your drawing will\nresemble Fig. 28. Use blue for the body of the flag and red for the\ncross.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 28]\n\n\"This is the banner round which our school rallies today. We have come\ntogether once more to strengthen our army of boys and girls to fight\nagainst wrong. And our littlest fighters are the best fighters we\nhave. Why? Because it is a warfare that never ends and the little ones\nhave many more years in which to fight than the older ones have. And,\nstrangest of all, the weapons most effective are kindness, love,\nprayer and steadfastness--these will drive away the great enemy of us\nall--sin. The boys in blue rallied around their flag because it\nrepresents our country, the land we love so well. We rally around this\nflag because it represents everything that is best here on earth and\nin heaven. Let us be loyal to these two beautiful banners. We cannot\nbe true to one without being true to the other.\n\n\"Let us make this school year the best we ever knew. We can do it if\nwe will be true to everything for which these two flags stand--the red\nfor love, the white for purity and the blue for loyalty.\"\n\n[It is suggested that the pupils be presented with small American and\nconquest flags as souvenirs. These are inexpensive and may be procured\nfrom Sunday school supply houses. Celluloid buttons, displaying the\ntwo flags, would be acceptable souvenirs of the day.]\n\n\n\nTHE CROSS\n    --Salvation\n    --Repentance\n\nAn Illustration Which Has Inspired Many to Hopefulness and Victory.\n\nTHE LESSON--That a complete surrender to Christ is the only\nsuccessful way to purify a sinful life.\n\nThis illustration, in varied form, has been used by speakers for many\nyears. It is here given, however, in a new presentation, with a hope\nthat the revision may be helpful to others in spreading its\nusefulness. If paper is used, attach several thicknesses to your\ndrawing board and provide yourself with a sharp penknife. If used as a\nblackboard illustration, an eraser will be needed.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"It is a good deal safer, boys, for you to walk the streets with your\nthumb in your mouth than with a cigarette there. The thumb can't hurt\nyou, but the cigarette is bound to. I heard, once upon a time, of a\nyoung man who lived in a good home--maybe just as good as yours--who\nfell into the cigarette habit. I can't understand why a boy, when he\nknows what a terrible thing the cigarette habit is, will not leave the\nthing alone. But, like some whom you may know, this boy failed to heed\nthe many warnings and, before he was aware of it, the deadly habit had\nhim firmly in its grasp. I will ask one of the boys to please spell\nthe word 'Habit' for me. [As each letter is repeated put it down on\nthe drawing sheet. If you have previously outlined the entire picture,\nthe location of the cross will determine the location of the letter T,\nin the center, as the T is later changed into a cross. Place the other\nfour letters in proper relation to the letter T, completing Fig. 29.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 29]\n\n\"Now, then--one day this young man awoke to the fact that he must rid\nhimself of his terrible habit if he would amount to anything in the\nworld. He was working in a distant city, and there, alone, how do you\nsuppose he started in to get rid of his habit? He did it this way: He\nmade up his mind to wipe it out gradually by cutting down the number\nof cigarettes which he smoked each day. So he started in. The first\nday he smoked two less than he did the day before--cut out some, you\nsee. [With your penknife cut out the letter H and throw it away.] You\nwill observe that although he cut out some of his habit, he had A BIT\nleft. The next day he did the same thing, by cutting out two\nmore. [Cut away the letter A.] Although he had a BIT of the habit\nleft, he felt somewhat encouraged and declared to himself that he\ncould cut it all out if he kept at it. But he didn't know how hard it\nwould be to 'keep at it.' The next day he cut out a little more [Cut\naway the letter B], but the desire to smoke the deadly cigarette was\nstill strong. He was inclined to give up in discouragement, for he had\nnow found that cutting _out_ wasn't cutting _off_ and that he\nstill had IT. Not until now did he feel his helplessness, for the\nhabit was still strong upon him. He needed a friend--a friend who\ncould help him in his earnest wish to become once more true and\npure. And a friend came. It was one who knew Christ and His power to\nsave everyone who turns to Him for help. Clearly this friend revealed\nto him the truth, that if he would master his habit he must master\nhimself. Boldly he took the glad step, and, like all humble followers\nof Jesus, he gave himself into His loving care, to guide and to direct\nhis life. With this step came active work for Christ, and it was then\nthat the letter I was removed [Cut out the I] and a new vision burst\non his sight, for the last remnant of his enemy faded away in the\ntransformation of his life to Christian service. [Give the T a touch\nwith black, converting it into a cross; then continue the drawing to\ncomplete Fig. 30. Use black for the hill and circle; outline the cross\nin red; use orange in broad strokes for the rays emanating from the\ncross.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 30]\n\n\"This was the vision. It can come to every boy and girl. It has come\nto countless thousands. To this boy of whom we speak it came to save\nhim from failure and death. No longer did the dread habit control\nhim. The battle was won, not by his own strength, but through Christ,\nwho strengthened him. Such strength will be yours every time you need\nit to help and to keep you.\n\n\"And let us think for a moment of the great service of the friend who\nled this young man to see the vision. Are we a friend to those who\nneed us? 'Brethren,' says Paul, 'if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye\nwhich are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness,\nconsidering thyself lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's\nburdens.'\n\n\"May we ever be ready to lend a helping hand.\"\n\n\n\nEASTER LILIES\n    --Easter\n    --Resurrection\n\nTheir Introduction into America has Spread Perfume and Beauty\nEverywhere.\n\nTHE LESSON--That, like the lily, Christ gave up His life that His\nfollowers should multiply in the earth.\n\nIt is difficult, as teachers of children are aware, to impart the\nsignificance of Easter to those who are too young to be acquainted\nwith death and the hope of a resurrection. Many teachers find it best\nto confine the thought to the phenomena of nature as revealed in plant\nlife and to make such applications to the spiritual as conditions seem\nto permit. Easter is the most precious day of the year, for without it\nthere would be no Christmas, because Christmas is celebrated only as\nthe birthday of Him who arose from the dead. Without it, the world\nwould be in the darkness of despair and disappointment which possessed\nthe disciples as they turned from the cross to resume their former\noccupations or to hide themselves from the taunts of their\ntormentors. Hence, we must make the best possible use of it. This\nillustration possesses no new thought; in fact, there is nothing new\nexcept as we put into it the newness of our own enthusiasm and\nearnestness.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"On this beautiful Easter morning I want to tell you of a lady who has\ndone a good deal to help us enjoy this day. But for her, I believe, we\nwould not have had any of these lovely lilies which represent the\npurity of the life of the risen Savior. I do not know the name of this\nlady. But I do know that one day she stepped from a steamer at a wharf\nin her home city of Philadelphia, and that she had been on a visit to\nthe Bermuda Islands, which are six hundred miles out in the Atlantic\nOcean. Perhaps you know that the Bermuda Islands are noted as the\nplace where they raise very large onions, which are imported to the\nUnited States. An onion, you know, is a bulb. Well, this lady carried\nwith her two bulbs. They weren't Bermuda onions, either, as they were\ntoo small for that. She took these two bulbs to a friend who was a\nflorist and asked him to plant them. [Draw the bulb in black. Fig. 31.]\nThis was in the year 1875. The bulbs soon sent up strong green shoots\nand after a while blossomed as beautifully in their strange\nsurroundings as they would have done in their former home. [Complete\nthe drawing of the lily stalk in green; also the lilies, using fine\nblack lines as outlines.] To us these beautiful flowers seem like old\nfriends, because we have known them so long, but these Easter lilies,\nblossoming in Philadelphia, were the first to spread their sweet\nperfume in this country.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 31]\n\n\"Before that time, there was a lily known as the Easter lily, but\nwhose right name is the lilium candidum or Madonna lily. This latter\nname comes from the fact that in one of the paintings of the Madonna\nshe holds one of these lilies in her hand. It, also, is pure white,\nand similar in form to the Easter lily of today except that it is more\nbell-shaped.\n\n\"During the first four years, these two bulbs in Philadelphia produced\none hundred new bulbs. But what had become of the original bulbs? Ah,\ndon't you know that when the bulb produces new bulbs the original bulb\ndies? Yes, when the new bulbs form at the sides of the old bulb, the\none which gave them life perishes--in fact, the first bulb gives up\nits life that the others may live. [Draw the outer bulbs as in\nFig. 32.] And while it does so, it spreads the perfume and the beauty\nof its flowers to delight everyone who sees them.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 32]\n\n\"From these first bulbs brought to America has come much of the beauty\nwhich is now so widespread at Easter time. The earth is full of the\nperfume of the Easter lily today.\n\n\"How typical is this little illustration of the Savior whose\nresurrection we celebrate today. While He was on the earth, the beauty\nof his life brightened everyone, and all that time He knew that He\nmust give up his life that we might live.\n\n\"How typical also of our lives may this Easter lily be. What seems\nmore lifeless than the bulb of a lily? Plant it, bury it, and lo! it\nis resurrected into a thing of wondrous beauty. That which seemed like\nits tomb has proven to be the gateway into true life. Thus our faith\ngives us the blessed assurance, with Paul, that 'if we believe that\nJesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will\nGod bring with Him.'\"\n\n\n\nTHE WOUNDED TREE\n    --Steadfastness\n    --Constancy\n\nIt Tells the Story of Courage and Patience that Approaches the\nSublime.\n\nTHE LESSON--That steadfastness in the right not only keeps the life\nupright but it restores the repentant one to righteousness.\n\nEach one of us needs the quality called steadfastness--not the\nobstinacy which denies us the right to judge fairly every condition\nabout us, not the bigotry which prevents us from a charitable\nconsideration of the views of other people--but the steady adherence\nto positive Christian principles which keep us constant in our faith\nand unwavering in our hold on heavenly virtues.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Today, we are going to talk about steadfastness. And what does it\nmean to be steadfast? It means that with God's love to protect us\nagainst every temptation, we shall never willingly do anything to\ngrieve Him. A life ruled by this power may grow to be so truly in\nharmony with the spirit of the Master that even though the waves of\ntrouble dash wildly against it, it will continue to stand firmly,\nbecause it knows that 'Jehovah will give grace and glory and no good\nthing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.'\n\n\"We shall turn to Nature for our object lesson today. We might select\nthe mighty oak, 'the king of the trees,' to represent the stalwart\nChristian life which not only withstands the storms, but which, as it\nstrives against the winds, sends its mighty roots ever deeper into the\nearth; and we might choose as the type of the weak and sinful life the\nbay tree which does not send its roots deep into the earth and which\nis in danger of being torn away by every passing storm. But we shall\nlook not at these but at two other trees which are described by Julia\nEllen Rogers in her beautiful book, 'Among the Trees.' Says this\nauthor, 'There is something almost sublime in the patience and courage\nof plants!' Doesn't that sound strange? The idea of claiming that\nplants are courageous and patient! But the writer goes on to prove her\nwords. One tree of which she writes was thrown prostrate upon the\nground, crushed down by another tree which fell upon it. There it lay,\nwith some of its roots torn loose from the earth and drying in the\nheat of the sun. It was left there in the forest to die. [As you\nspeak, draw Step A of Fig. 33.] The writer tells also of a small\npoplar tree which grew on the sloping side of a mountain. One day,\nwhen there was a heavy landslide, the rush of boulders and earth tore\nthe tree from its place and carried it a considerable distance down\nthe side of the mountain. When it stopped sliding, it was left with\nits top downward, while its roots were lifted toward the sky. [Draw\nStep B of Fig. 33.] In the rush of the earth, a quantity of soil was\nspread over a part of the roots. If anyone had seen the tree then, he\nwould have declared that it must surely die.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 33]\n\n\"But let us turn again to the book. The writer says, 'A tree thrown\ndown may die of its wounds, but if it does not die it seeks to assume\nan erect position. As long as there is life, there is inspiration,'\nand, we might add, a reaching upward! Do you get the idea? Even if a\ntree is thrown down, wounded near to its death, _it tries its best\nto rise, to rise again--to stand upright_! This truth is shown by\nwhat these two trees did. This first one sent an entirely new tree\nstraight up from the roots, while the old part lay on the ground\ndead. [Add lines to complete Step C of Fig. 34.] This second one was\nso determined to grow that it sent out a little sprout and started it\nto climb straight upward toward the sky; it developed into a strong\ntree. [Draw lines to complete Step D of Fig. 34; this finishes the\ndrawing.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 34]\n\n\"What a splendid lesson there is for us in these true stories from the\nforest and the mountain. Perhaps, in our weakness, we have not lived\nas closely to the Master as we should have done, and have become\nprostrated by our temptations. But there is one mighty to save. It is\nfor us to reach upward in thought, in word and deed. Then will come\nthe sunshine of his loving kindness to give us strength to rise toward\nHim. The tree, wounded and cast down, can never return to its first\ncondition, but it does its best to rise. We, if we be prostrated by\nsin, can never rise to be as perfect as we would have been if we had\nshunned the evil thing; but in humility and service we may rise to\nreceive the Master's 'Well done,' and we may be assured of His tender\ncare if we do our best.\n\n\"Let us ever keep our thoughts on Him who 'is able to succor them that\nare tempted.'\"\n\n\n\nA FIRM FOUNDATION\n    --Lincoln's Birthday\n    --Fortitude\n\nThe Secret of Lincoln's Steadfastness in the Midst of Tremendous\nTrials.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the Bible teaching of childhood fortifies manhood.\n\nIf it is not your custom to observe Lincoln's birthday, you will find\nthis illustration valuable for Mother's day and other occasions.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Probably no public man in America has ever been so severely assailed,\nso mercilessly scourged through the public press, as was Abraham\nLincoln. Yet, through it all, while thousands were dying on the field\nof battle, while pestilence and want stalked through the states, and\nwhile the finger of hatred and scorn was pointed at him as the man who\nhad brought devastation and death upon the nation, he stood steadfast,\nwith a firm, unimpassioned face, never swerving an inch from the path\nof right and duty. Warring factions all about him, who tried in many\nways to sidetrack him, failed in every attempt. To them he said, 'Let\nus have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us do our\nduty as we understand it.'\n\n\"In his memorable second inaugural address, he said, 'With malice\ntoward none, with charity to all, with firmness in the right, as God\ngives us to see the right, let us finish the work.'\n\n\"In those tumultuous times, he often seemed to stand almost alone,\nlike a lighthouse away out from the rock-bound coast, lashed by the\nfierce waves, driven by furious winds. [Draw the lighthouse in brown\nand the waves in blue, completing Fig. 35.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 35]\n\n\"But the fiercest storms never moved our human lighthouse! Nor did\nthe light which was to finally guide the Ship of State into a safe and\npeaceful harbor fail to send out its clear, pure rays.\n\n\"The lighthouse which we have drawn must stand upon a firm and solid\nfoundation to endure the force of the storm. Abraham Lincoln must have\nstood upon a firm and solid foundation in order to endure the fierce\nstorms of the darkest years of the nation's history. Let us see what\nthis foundation was made of.\n\n\"We must go away back to the early days of his life until we come, in\n1816, to a little cabin in Gentryville, Indiana--a one-room log cabin\nwith a dirt floor and with no glass in the windows. Here lived Thomas\nLincoln and his wife and two children, Sarah, aged ten years, and\nAbraham, eight years old. They had recently come from Kentucky.\n\n\"Although Thomas Lincoln could neither read nor write, the mother\ntaught her children to read the one book which they had, a Bible. The\nsweetness of the character of this gentle mother was reflected in the\nlives of her children. For three or four months, Abraham managed to\nattend the rude school of the neighborhood. He soon learned to know\nmuch of the Bible by heart. When he was ten years of age, the greatest\ncalamity of his life occurred; his mother, always frail and delicate,\npassed from earth. Abraham Lincoln never recovered from the shock. The\nrude casket was placed in a grave near the cabin. Nine months after\nthat sad day, Parson Elkins, whom the family had known in Kentucky,\nanswered the repeated appeal of Abraham to come one hundred miles on\nhorseback to preach a funeral sermon at the grave of Mrs. Lincoln.\n\n\"Many years afterward, when the cares of state weighed heavily upon\nhim, President Lincoln spoke the words which tell us the secret of his\nwonderful calmness and steadfastness. Listen to them: 'All that I am\nand all that I hope to be, I owe to my mother. Blessings on her\nmemory!'\n\n\"Do you understand, boys and girls, that it was the thing which this\nmother put into the life of her boy that made him a great and a good\nman? Do you now understand what Paul meant when he said that there is\nno other foundation on which to build your life 'than that is laid,\nwhich is Jesus Christ?'\n\n\"Let us, then place the word, Christ, upon this rock, the unseen\nfoundation upon which this great life stood so steadfastly. I leave\nwith you the picture as a memory of the secret of a wonderful life.\n[Draw lines of rock and lower portion of the lighthouse; add the word\n\"Christ,\" completing Fig. 36.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 36]\n\n\n\nTHE BLESSEDNESS OF WORK\n    --Labor\n    --Diligence\n\nThe Truly Happy Life is the One Filled With Honest Employment.\n\nTHE LESSON--That in childhood and youth we should train ourselves\nto work.\n\nWork is the keynote of the successful life. \"An idle brain is the\ndevil's workshop.\" The talk is designed to catch the attention with a\nsmile and then give an opportunity to present some valuable thoughts\nin the matter of diligence and the fulfillment of life's mission\nthrough honorable employment of the mind and the hands.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Very often we read some very curious things. The manufacturer of one\nof the well-known breakfast foods, has placed this strange statement\non the outside of each of the packages: 'Tell me what you eat and I\nwill tell you what you are.' It seems impossible to do this, and the\nwriter of the words probably had an entirely different way of\nexplaining how he would do it from the way we will demonstrate it here\non the drawing paper today. Let us suppose that we make the statement\nthat we can tell what a man is if we know what he eats. All right,\nthen, here is a case: There is a certain man who eats three meals a\nday out of a dish shaped something like this: [Draw lines representing\nStep 1 of Fig. 37.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 37] [Illustration: Fig. 38]\n\n\"And then, let us suppose that the food he eats is heaped up like\nthis: [Add lines to change the drawing to Step 2.]\n\n\"Now, what do you think this food is? Ice cream? Ah, no, because when\nI tell you that this is steam rising from the food you will know it\nisn't ice cream: [Add lines to change the drawing to Step 3.]\n\n\"But you will begin to see what it is when I tell you that these two\nlines represent chopsticks: [Add lines to change the drawing to Step\n5.] What is it? Rice? Yes, it is rice, and we will label it in this\nway. [Add the letters, to change the drawing to Step 5.]\n\n\"And now, having found out what the man eats, let us see if we can\nfind out who he is. [Remove the sheet from the drawing board, hold it\nup and turn it over, exposing Fig. 38 to the audience. With the\nattention thus centered upon your work, the boys and girls will listen\nwith eagerness to whatever else you may have for them.]\n\n\"And so, I tell you of another thing that we can do.\n\n\"Listen! Tell me what a boy thinks about, and I will tell you what\nkind of a man he will grow up to be.\n\n\"The man who swears, thought of bad things and used bad words when he\nwas a boy. The man who is a thief thought about dishonest things when\nhe was a boy. The man who is happy and who finds it his delight to do\ngood, formed the habit of thinking and doing good things when he was a\nboy. The man who loves his work learned to like to work when he was a\nboy.\n\n\"And it is work that I want to speak about today.\n\n\"There is no place in the world for a lazy boy or girl. Nobody wants\nthem. Boys who hate to work are the kind that loaf around poolrooms\nand pollute the air with vile cigarette smoke and language which\nbespeaks an empty mind and a corrupt heart.\n\n\"As Jesus is our great example in every way, He stands out strongly as\nour example of how a workman should delight in his employment. We\nshould first find the thing which God intends that we shall do, for we\nare all fitted to do some things better than others, and we should\nthen put forth our best efforts to learn to do that one thing as well\nas we can. We must center our thoughts upon the things we want to\ndo. Life will then become a delight, because the world is always\ncrying for workers who know how to do their work. The other kind is\nalways to be found but never wanted. The demand is for the ones who\nknow how. It is a significant fact that the first recorded words of\nJesus Christ are, 'Wist ye not that I must be about my father's\nbusiness?' This makes of Jesus a _Business boy_, and it was God's\nwork he began so soon.\n\n\"Gladstone, an inspiring example of the true workman, says, 'The\nthrift of time will repay in after life with usury of profit beyond\nyour most sanguine dreams, and the waste of it will make you dwindle\nalike in intellectual and moral stature beyond your darkest\nreckoning.'\n\n\"The happiest people in the world are those who are busy at something\nworth while, and the most miserable are those who are in idleness for\nlack of ambition or else are engaged in work which they themselves\nloathe because of its baseness.\"\n\n\n\nTHE DOORWAY\n    --Easter\n    --Death\n\nThe Resurrection of Christ the Hope of the World--An Easter\nThought.\n\nTHE LESSON--That death is but the doorway between the earthly life\nand the heavenly life of the believer.\n\nThere is no new thought or theory concerning the dead in Christ. The\nmost profound thinkers of the ages consider death as the entrance to a\nfuture life. The illustration here presented has been employed in\nvarious forms, but is given with the hope that it may, at Easter, help\nsomeone to a clearer conception of the reward which awaits the\nfaithful.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"James Russell Lowell, dwelling upon the darkness of the cloud of\nsorrow which death brings into the home, wrote:\n\n      \"'Console, if you will, I can bear it,\n          'Tis a well-meant alms of breath;\n        But not all the preaching since Adam\n          Has made Death other than Death!'\n\n\"How true! And God intended it should be so. Surely, it is His desire\nthat we should love to live in the earth which He has given\nus. Surely, it is His desire that we should love those who are about\nus, and that we should mourn when the earthly parting comes. And yet,\n'it is impossible,' as Jonathan Swift has said, 'that anything so\nnatural, so necessary and so universal as death should ever have been\ndesigned by Providence as an evil to mankind.' With this thought, we\nmay lift our faces once more, and as we dry our tears, forget the\nproblems, the sorrows and the triumphs of earth as we ask ourselves\nthe question, 'What shall _we_ be in the coming ages?' Compared\nwith this question, all others sink into insignificance. Science,\ndiscovery, commercial achievement, social problems, the rise and fall\nof nations--all come to us and claim attention, but we brush them\naside as we repeat, with passionate earnestness: What shall _we_\nbe--_we, ourselves_--in the coming time?\n\n\"No matter how long we ask the question, no matter how earnestly we\nseek the solution, we shall not be satisfied with an answer, for God\nhas not intended that we should know. The Apostle John, 'whom Jesus\nloved,' admits that 'it doth not yet appear what we shall be.'\n\n\"Does it mean, then, that we should look ahead, and see nothing before\nus but the grave--the end of all? [Draw the grave, the headstone, and\nthe word, \"Death,\" with black, completing Fig. 39.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 39]\n\n\"Perhaps the disciples, their hearts bowed down with grief and\ndisappointment, held this thought as they saw the tomb of Joseph of\nArimathea sealed upon the body of their beloved Master. But three days\npass, and lo!--all is changed! The stone is rolled away and Christ has\nrisen! How the message spreads! He is with them once again, and\nblessed days they are! But it is not for long, for heaven receives Him\nfrom their sight. Clearly, then, came to them again His words, 'I go\nto prepare a place for you, that where I am ye may be also.' What!\nThey, too? Yes, for did he not say, also, 'Marvel not at this, for the\nhour is coming, in which all that are in their graves shall hear His\nvoice and come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection\nof life.'\n\n\"Today, there comes to us anew the revelation of the truth which came\nto the disciples on that wonderful resurrection morn. True, it may be\nthat our pathway may lead more quickly than we think to this place\nwhich we call the grave. [Draw pathway to the grave.] True, there is\na wall between human vision and the mysterious beyond. [Draw the\nwall.] But true, also, and gloriously true, is it that the grave opens\nto us the mysteries beyond the wall. [Draw line to change headstone to\ndoor]--while the pathway leads to--what? We can only suggest it here,\nwith a few feeble lines. [Draw distant city, in red, using orange for\nrays of light. Add the word \"Life,\" completing Fig. 40.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 40]\n\n\"Someone has said that the night of life is the dawn of peace.\nBrowning says that 'you never know what life means till you die.'\nAnother has said, 'The dead are glad in heaven; the living 'tis that\nweep.' And all, though they point to the pathway beyond the wall as\nthat toward which we should push forward, are firm in the knowledge\nthat the earthly pathway of peace and love is more essential than\nthis, for without it we cannot reach the other. 'There is but one way\nto get ready for immortality,' says Van Dyke, 'and that is to love\nthis life, and live it as bravely and cheerfully and faithfully as we\ncan.' And I know it is our prayer that we may do this in the fullness\nof the meaning of the words.\"\n\n\n\nTHE PUZZLE PICTURE\n    --God's Love\n    --Nature\n\nWhen We Have Solved It, Let Us Learn to Find God in All His Works\nof Nature.\n\nTHE LESSON--That we shall find the loving presence of God\neverywhere in nature, if we but seek Him.\n\nThis illustration, dealing with a popular pastime, points to a great\nlesson, the fact that God is to be found in all our natural\nsurroundings, if we but seek for Him in the same manner that we\nendeavor to find the unseen in other ways.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"How many of the boys and girls are fond of puzzle pictures? Hold up\nyour hands. Ah, I thought so. I believe nearly everyone likes puzzles;\nwe are attracted to many things which possess an element of\nmystery. So I am going to draw a little puzzle landscape today and see\nif we can get a lesson from it. [Draw the landscape, naming the\nobjects as you complete them--the tree, the land, the water, the\ndistant foliage, and so on, finishing Fig. 41. This completes the\ndrawing for the entire talk.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 41]\n\n\"Here is the story: A farmer, living near this spot, came down to the\nshore of the lake, untied his boat from its fastening, and rowed out\nonto the lake to fish. With the approach of dinner-time, the farmer's\nson came down to the shore to call his father to dinner. It seems that\nthe father had rowed so far away that he could not hear the lad's\nvoice, so the boy is still waiting here for him. Can you see the boy?\nAh, yes, here he is. [Remove the sheet from the drawing board, reverse\nit, and hold it up for the inspection of the school. Fig. 42. After\nall have discovered the face of the boy, do not return the sheet to\nthe drawing board, but lay it on the floor or elsewhere out of sight,\nas it has served its purpose and should not be allowed to detract from\nthe attention needed for the remainder of the talk.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 42]\n\n\"Yes, it is interesting to study puzzle pictures to discover in them\nthe persons and objects which we may not see at the beginning. But I\nwonder how many of us do a similar thing when we see the real woods,\nthe real lake and the real flowers? As in the picture, the boy's face\nwas made by the outline of the tree and the shrubbery, and the hair\nwas shown by the shading of the grass, so also may we find great\nhidden truths in nature all about us. The poet Bryant, in Thanatopsis\nsays that\n\n      \"'To him, who in the love of nature holds\n        Communion with her visible forms she speaks\n        A various language.'\n\n\"And Shakespeare tells of finding 'tongues in trees, books in running\nbrooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.'\n\n\"Greatest of all is the fact that God is there. Every tree, every\nbush, every blade of grass, every flower, speaks of His presence--of\nHis love and care for us. Dr. Van Dyke, in many beautiful passages\npleads with us to turn our thoughts from the things which make us\nunhappy--the wild rush for fame and fortune, for the attainment of\nthat which disappoints and discourages--to the quietness expressed by\nnature. In his book, 'The Ruling Passion,' we find this beautiful\nsentiment: 'It is the part of wisdom to spend little of your time upon\nthe things that vex and anger you, and much of your time upon the\nthings that bring you quietness and confidence and good cheer. A\nfriend made is better than an enemy punished. There is more God in the\npeaceful beauty of this little wood-violet than in all the angry\ndisputation of the sects. We are nearer heaven when we listen to the\nbirds than when we quarrel with our fellow-men. I am sure that none\ncan enter into the spirit of Christ, His evangel, save those who\nwillingly follow His invitation when He says, 'Come ye yourselves\napart in a lonely place and rest awhile.'\n\n\"It is a most beautiful thought. Let us ponder it in our hearts. Let\nus seek to find God and His goodness to us in everything that He has\nplaced about us. Many a man who says he has not found God in nature\nhas failed to see the blessings which have come to him--which are his\nevery moment of his life. The fruit, the flowers, the grains--everything\nthat supplies him with the necessities of life and earthly happiness\ncome from the hand of God. Let us feel that _all nature is a sort of\npuzzle picture_, and that by looking, looking, looking, we can find\nGod in everything. And in finding Him, let us learn from nature the\nlessons of humility, of sacrifice, of joy and good cheer; for it is\nfor this that God has given us these blessings. It is only when we\nthus seek Him that we may look 'through nature up to nature's God.'\"\n\n\n\nTHE HEART of the TROUBLE\n    --Temperance Day\n    --Sobriety\n\nA Temperance Talk in Acrostic--One Great Evil Power--Beware!\n\nTHE LESSON--That the deadly drink evil appears to its victims in\nthe most alluring and deceptive form.\n\nThe following talk necessitates the use of lettering only, but it\naffords an opportunity for the audience to take a part, especially if\nthe company of hearers is made up largely of children. The climax is\nnot to be anticipated, and the effect cannot be other than\nlasting. The talk may be varied to suit local conditions; specific\nincidents make the best impressions. It is suggested that you watch\nyour newspapers for a period preceding the talk and make clippings of\nincidents to fit the points of the first seven paragraphs. It is well\nto ask the children to repeat each word as it is placed on the drawing\npaper.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"The thing I am going to speak about today is not a pleasant one. The\nfact is that nothing good can be said about it, for it deals with\nsorrow and death. You may wonder, then, why we do not speak of\nsomething bright and happy; and I answer that if you learn the lesson\nabout this thing of sorrow and death, your lives will escape its\ninfluence and you will be many more times likely to be happy; and if\nyou do not learn the lesson, you may suffer distress and anguish all\nthe years of your later life. This thing is known as a great evil\npower. Sometimes we hear of it coming into the home and making a\nbrute out of a loving husband. Where there was happiness and joy there\nis now sorrow and despair. [Place the word Sorrow on the drawing\npaper. When adding the succeeding words, be sure to place them exactly\nas indicated in Fig. 43.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 43]\n\n\"Again, this evil power creeps into a home and fastens itself upon a\nyoung man who had before him every promise of a bright, successful\nlife. So relentless is it that the young man, in despair, takes his\nown life. [Add the word Death.]\n\n\"Again, we see a man, successful in business, with no seeming obstacle\nin the way of greater achievement, when, one day, we find his doors\nare closed. This evil power has come upon him and he is a bankrupt and\na failure. [Add the word Failure.]\n\n\"Again, we hear of a man who has been a leader among men--a brilliant\nlawyer, a keen thinker--taken from his place and confined in a\nhospital for the insane. The same evil power has done this. [Add the\nword Insanity.]\n\n\"Again, we know of a young man who was strong and robust, a splendid\nspecimen of physical manhood; now he has lost his health and\nstrength. The same evil power has come upon him and has placed him on\na bed of sickness from which he cannot rise. [Add the word Sickness.]\n\n\"Again, how often do we hear that a man, respected and honored, has in\na moment of passion, taken the life of another man, just because this\nevil power came in and caused him to do it. [Add the word Murder.]\n\n\"But more common than all the other terrible things which this great\nevil power does is the bringing of wretchedness and want to the wives\nand the children of the men who are its victims. These innocent ones\nsuffer for the common comforts of life, food and clothing. This we\ncall poverty. [Add the word Poverty. This completes Fig. 43.]\n\n\"Many more words could be added to this list, representing the\nmisfortunes which come to the victims of this great evil power. In\nevery instance it deceived its victims into believing it was\nharmless--that in accepting it there was no danger or risk.\n\n\"What is this great evil power? [With red chalk draw the heavy line,\ncompleting Fig. 44, to bring out the word Whiskey.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 44]\n\n\"Now, boys and girls, consider this not as a puzzle drawing. It\nrepresents a truth almost as old as the world. Concerning strong\ndrink, the Bible cries out, 'Beware!' Remember that every drunkard\nbelieved he could taste liquor and then leave it alone if he wished.\nYou, in your happy homes, may think you are safe from it. Beware!\nSome day, the temptation will come to you; someone will test you.\nBeware! 'Whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.' 'Who hath woe?\nWho hath sorrow? Who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who\nhath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine.' Beware! Be\nnot one of these.\n\n\"No, let us keep our minds on the pure, the upright, looking ever to\nJesus, who is our strength and who will keep us from the power of this\nevil thing. 'Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, and thy foot\nshall not stumble.'\"\n\n\n\nIF WASHINGTON LIVED TODAY\n    --Washington's Birthday\n    --Character\n\nThe Principles Which Underlie Success Are the Same at All Times.\n\nTHE LESSON--That true success will attend those who found their\nlives on the principles which governed the life of Washington.\n\nProperly handled, the illustration designed for the following talk\nwill prove a revelation to young and old. The application fits the\nillustration so well that the talk should prove of absorbing interest\nand lasting impressiveness.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n[Before beginning the talk, make the following preparations very\ncarefully: Attach several thicknesses of your drawing paper to your\nboard, leaving the outer sheet free at the bottom by tacking at the\ntop only. Next, with a sharp pen-knife, cut a hole in the outer sheet,\nindicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 45, and throw away the piece\nwhich has been cut out. The object of this preparation is this: When\nyou draw the portrait of Washington, represented in Fig. 45, a portion\nof your drawing will appear on the outer sheet and part of it--the\nface--on the next sheet beneath. If your preparations have been well\nmade, the outer sheet will lie flat against the one beneath, and the\naudience will not see the hole until the proper time comes.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 45]\n\n\"I am going to draw first an outline portrait of George Washington,\ncopied from the profile crayon sketch of St. Memin. [Draw Fig. 45,\ncomplete, being careful, in moving the crayon from one sheet to the\nother, not to tear the outer sheet.] This view shows plainly the style\nof wig and military clothing of a gentleman of the revolutionary days,\nand, as we look at it we note what a difference there is between this\nand the dress of the men of today. Do we also feel that there is a\ngreat difference between the men of colonial days and the present\ntime--the same difference in character that there is in dress? If\nthis thought has come to us, we have also asked ourselves, perhaps,\nthis strange question, 'What kind of a man would George Washington be\nif he were living at the present time?'\n\n\"Of course, if he had not performed his great work in helping to shape\nthe destiny of our nation, it is probable that America would have had\na vastly different history. We will assume, however, that Washington\nwere a product of the present day and that the present conditions\nprevailed. What, then, would Washington be like? How would he act?\nWhat would he do?\n\n\"Perhaps we can best transplant him to our day by dressing him in the\nclothing of the man of the present. [Slowly fold back the outer sheet,\nso the audience may see that you have already drawn on the under sheet\na portion of the second \"scene\"--the most important part, in fact. As\nyou continue the talk, add lines to complete Fig. 46.] In the first\nplace, Washington, with his abundance of natural hair, would not wear\na wig just for style, so we will draw his head as we think it would\nappear naturally. Nor would he wear the colonial style of clothing, so\nwe will substitute the coat, collar and tie of an American gentleman\nof today. And here we have Washington as he would look if he lived in\nour own time.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 46]\n\n\"I do not believe Washington would be a military leader in this latter\nday. He was essentially a man of peace, and everywhere in his writings\nwe find expressed a longing to return after the strife of battle and\nthe weary days in the presidential chair, to his quiet, beloved Mount\nVernon, to carry on his extensive private business and enjoy his\nfriends and the sweets of home life.\n\n\"But we cannot doubt that he would be a great leader in the struggle\nfor right against wrong in every form. From his childhood, he loved\ntruth and honesty. He was a deep and careful student. He worked hard\nat his duties as a surveyor of the wilderness and then came the call\nfrom Governor Dinwiddie to carry a message to the French over hundreds\nof miles of unknown land, in the dead of winter. It was the most\nperilous undertaking ever entrusted to any man in the new land of\nAmerica up to that time, but he met the task manfully. It was such\nvictories as these in his youth that made him the Father of His\nCountry. It is the meeting of our own problems in the same spirit that\nmeans our own success in life.\n\n\"If Washington lived today, his career would be vastly different from\nwhat it was, yet he would have made his place, and the world would\nhave been eminently better for his work. Let us study to apply to our\nown lives the principles which made Washington truly great.\"\n\n[In closing, restore the outer sheet to its first position, thus\npresenting the original portrait. It may be necessary to fasten it\ndown with a thumb-tack.]\n\n\n\nEVOLUTION OF THE JUG\n    --Temperance Day\n    --Slavery\n\nWhile Strong Drink Makes \"Poverty and Rags,\" the Pure Life Brings\nEarthly Prosperity.\n\nTHE LESSON--That intemperance is the chief cause of the world's\npoverty and misery.\n\nThis talk deals especially with the point that the use of strong drink\nconsumes the income of the wage earner, unfits him for his work, and\nbrings suffering and want to himself and those dependent upon him.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 47]\n\n\"It is a common belief that slavery was wiped out of America by the\nEmancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln, sustained by the\nvictory of the union armies in the war of the rebellion. And so it was\nas far as the negro is concerned; but there is in America today\nanother form of slavery which no clash of arms can eradicate, and this\nis the picture of the slaveholder: [Draw Fig. 47 complete.] The\n'little brown jug,' which we use as a type of the saloon power, holds\nmillions of men and boys in its grasp, consuming their brains, their\nbodies, and their money, and bringing misery and hopelessness to them\nand to those who love them. From Europe comes many a cry of anguish,\nshowing that the same powerful slaveholder holds sway across the\nocean. Listen to the words of the great English statesman, Joseph\nChamberlain:\n\n      \"'If there is in this whole liquor business any single encouraging\n        feature,' he says, 'it is to be found in the gathering impatience\n        of the people at the burden which they are bound to bear, and\n        their growing indignation and sense of shame and disgrace which\n        this imposes upon them. The fiery serpent of drink is destroying\n        our people, and now they are waiting with longing eyes the\n        uplifting of the remedy.'\n\n\"Again, from the island of Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa,\nwe hear the queen of that island declaring herself in bitterness of\nspirit, in these words:\n\n      \"'I cannot consent, as your queen, to take revenue from the sale\n        of liquor, which destroys the souls and bodies of my people.'\n\n\"The Hon. Carroll D. Wright, while United States commissioner of\nlabor, tells, from observation, of the slavery of strong drink in his\nown country and in Europe. He says: 'I have looked into a thousand\nhomes of the working people of Europe; I do not know how many in this\ncountry. In every case, so far as my observation goes, drunkenness was\nat the bottom of the misery, and not the industrial system or the\nindustrial surroundings of the men and their families.'\n\n\"And so the testimony goes on. It is the same everywhere. There is no\nneed of more proof that strong drink is the world's greatest curse. To\nevery one of you boys, I am going to say that success in life cannot\ncome to you in its fulness if you ever allow yourselves to get this\ndeadly habit. Let it not break into the abode of your soul--and by\nthis I mean your own bodies--and make you depraved captives for\nlife. The first taste of strong drink, even though it may seem to be a\nvery little thing, may mean that you will become banished from God\nforever. Remember, boys, that Satan is deceitful. He never tells you\nthe truth. He is always trying to juggle you with his jug and to make\nyou believe that black is white and wrong is right, and even that\nsorrow is joy and 'a good time.' It is against those who would tempt\nyou that Jesus said, 'And fear not them that kill the body, but are\nnot able to kill the soul; but rather fear him that is able to destroy\nboth soul and body.' Such a destroyer is strong drink.\n\n\"As the years go by, you will find that you need all your energy, your\nbrains, and your physical strength to enable you to meet the problems\nof life. You will find that your later years will be filled with\nbattles; the defeats will be bitter; the victories sweet. One of the\nnecessary victories is the successful earning of a living. Money is a\nsplendid thing. It is the love of it and the wrong use of it that is\n'the root of all evil.' In the later years, if you are a slave to\nstrong drink, you may recall with bitterness the warning of the\nPsalmist who declares that 'the drunkard and the glutton shall come to\npoverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.' But true\nprosperity comes most surely when the life is pure. I know you are\nresolved that yours shall be such lives, so we shall change the\ndrawing to indicate something more acceptable to the life that well\ndeserves a reward for right living. [Add lines to complete Fig. 48.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 48]\n\n\"Paul pictures to us the successful man when he uses these words, 'Not\nslothful in business, fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.'\"\n\n\n\nTHE CIGARETTE FACE\n    --Temptation\n    --Evil Habits\n\nA Unique Presentation of a Truth Important to Every Child and\nYouth.\n\nTHE LESSON--That Indulgence in injurious habits undermines the\nmoral and physical structure and is a barrier to true success.\n\nThe chalk talk here presented is certain to prove of enduring value in\nimpressing upon young minds the truth of the deadly effects of the use\nof cigarettes. The talk may form a part of a program given on\nTemperance day, as the cigarette habit and liquor-drinking are very\nclosely allied.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"We are going to talk for a few minutes about our food. Of course, we\nall know that when we are very young children our food consists very\nlargely of milk, and the physicians say that boys and girls should not\nbe allowed to drink tea and coffee or to eat meat and other solid\nfoods until they have reached a certain age when their bodies demand\nsuch food. But ofttimes we find that parents do not know about this or\nelse they try to please their children, for they frequently allow them\nto eat and drink the forbidden things. The result is that as they grow\nolder, their bodies, having become accustomed to the foods which were\ntoo strong for them, demand still stronger food. So it is, often, that\na young man possesses a craving for a stimulant which is unnatural at\nhis youthful age, and we find him turning to drinking and cigarette\nsmoking. But this does not satisfy the hungering and thirsting for\nstronger and more exciting things. Many times the life of the young\nman is ruined in his mad search for something to meet the demands of\nhis physical nature and he goes down to the grave a physical, mental\nand moral wreck!\n\n\"And now, with this thought before us, I want to speak for a few\nminutes particularly about cigarettes. And in this, also, I want to\nspeak only to the girls. Will every girl please listen and do as I\nask? Now, then: I am going to ask you to take your paper and pencils,\nif you have them, and copy the picture that I shall draw, and, if you\nhaven't them, carry the picture with you in your mind so that you may\nuse it when the occasion comes.\n\n\"Here we go! Whenever you see one of your boy friends with a cigarette\nin his mouth, ask him if he ever saw the picture of the 'Cigarette\nFace.' Of course, he will say, 'No.' Then you will ask him to spell\n'cigarettes' for you, very slowly, and as he pronounces the letters,\nyou put them down, just like I shall do. Now, watch:\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 49]\n\n\"'C' [Step 1, Fig. 49].\n\n\"'I' [Step 2].\n\n\"'G' [Step 3].\n\n\"'A-R-E-T-T-E-S' [Step 4].\n\n\"And now, we will draw the cigarette itself [Step 5].\n\n\"And finish the picture by drawing the encircling smoke. [Step 6,\ncompleting the final scene].\n\n\"Is it a true portrait? Go and ask any physician. Go and ask the\nwarden of any insane asylum. Go and ask many a heartbroken mother.\n\n\"Does cigarette smoking make criminals out of boys? Magistrate LeRoy\nB. Crane, of New York City, says that three hundred boys were brought\nbefore him, charged with crimes. All but five of them were cigarette\nsmokers, and that report ought to _cure forever_ every boy in\nthis town of the expensive _curse_.\n\n\"Does cigarette smoking make failures out of boys? Once, when he was\nasked about it, the late E.H. Harriman, one of the greatest railroad\nmanagers in the history of America, said that railroads might as well\ngo to lunatic asylums for their employes as to hire cigarette\nsmokers. Yet some boys I know haven't a bit more sense than to smoke\nthem. Girls, isn't it a pity?\n\n\"Let us remember that habit is the very foundation of our lives.\nEverything that we do repeatedly becomes easier for us to do each\nsucceeding day. This would be a most discouraging condition if it\napplied only to bad habits. But, thanks be to God, the rule applies\nequally well to good habits. Diligence, economy, perseverance,\ngentleness, pure thoughts--may all become the governing habits of our\nlives if we will but center our attention upon them repeatedly and\ncrowd out the evil tendencies. We are so constituted that we must form\nhabits. We cannot think or say or feel anything without leaving an\neffect which will influence every succeeding thought or action or\nfeeling. Let us, therefore, look carefully to the forming of our own\nhabits and to helping others form theirs.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nCHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS\n    --Prayer\n    --Faith\n\nAlthough He Died Believing His Mission Had Failed, His Prayer Was\nMore Than Answered.\n\nTHE LESSON--That \"the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man\navaileth much.\"\n\nThe life of Christopher Columbus contains much to inspire the\npresent-day youth. In studying it, however, one should always take\ninto account the prevailing superstitions, darkened by the bigotry of\nthe times. But above and beyond all this shone the steadfast belief of\nColumbus that his every act was directed by God. The talk is suited to\nall ages, for the mere mention of the name of Columbus will excite the\ninterest of young and old.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Every one of us knows that Columbus discovered America, but unless we\nhave studied the life of this wonderful man we do not know of the\ngreat difficulties and hardships he endured before he was able to do\nit. We know that Ferdinand and Isabella, rulers of Spain, furnished\nhim with the ships with which he came to the new land; but we should\nalso know that for years and years he worked and struggled through\nsickening discouragement until he finally succeeded in procuring the\nsupport of the Spanish monarchs. We know that he found a great\ncontinent, and that his name is honored above all others of his time;\nbut we should also know that he himself never knew that he was the\ndiscoverer of a new land, and that he died a broken-hearted, ridiculed\nman whose mission had failed miserably.\n\n\"And what was that mission? What was Columbus trying to do when he\ndiscovered America? He was simply trying to find a short way to reach\nIndia. Ferdinand and Isabella provided him with the ships only with\nthe hope that he would find rich deposits of gold for them in some\nstrange land. Both missions failed! But God was directing the life of\nColumbus. He put into his heart the firm belief that the world is\nround, and made him anxious to prove his theory to be true. Finally,\ndown through years of hardship and discouragement, God brought\nColumbus to the age of maturity and wisdom, fully equipped for the\ngreat task which was before him. Then the Spanish monarchs provided\nthe required vessels for the voyage. Here we have one of these quaint\ncaravels, the Santa Maria. [Draw Fig. 50 complete, or, on account of\nthe detail, prepare it in advance.] There were two other ships, the\nPinta and the Nina. What curious looking boats they were! They left\nthe coast of Spain on Friday, August 3, 1492. Where were they going?\nNobody knew. But there was one man in that company who, deep in his\nheart, believed that God was directing the course of those three\nlittle caravels across the vast ocean. Washington Irving, in his Life\nof Columbus, says, 'He was a devoutly pious man. Religion mingled with\nthe whole course of his thoughts, and shone forth in his most private\nand unstudied writings. Whenever he made a great discovery, he\ncelebrated it by solemn thanks to God. The voice of prayer and melody\nof praise rose from his ships when they first beheld the new world,\nand his first action on landing was to prostrate himself on the earth\nand offer thanksgiving.'\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 50]\n\n\"Such a man was Christopher Columbus--_a man of faith and\nprayer_; He had prayed that God would direct him in the discovery\nof a new route to India. God answered that prayer in a richer, greater\nmeasure than Columbus ever knew, for to him whose life had been one of\ndevotion and communion with God, was given a name above all other\nnames written in the world's list of navigators and discoverers! He\nprayed for a great blessing. God gave him a greater one. As the Santa\nMaria entered the harbor of the little island of San Salvador and the\ncrews of the three vessels, numbering 120 in all, knelt and thanked\nGod for His great mercies, Columbus believed he had reached a distant\ncoast of India. [Draw the ground and trees, Fig. 51.] But, in truth,\nit was infinitely more than that--he had found A NEW WORLD! [Add \"A\nNew World,\" completing Fig. 51.] Such was the blessing which God gave\nto Christopher Columbus. Such is the blessing he will give to all who\ntrust Him and love Him. Always does the true Christian receive more\nthan that for which he asks, for the human mind cannot know the\nthoughts of God or of His love for those who give their lives wholly\ninto His keeping.\"\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 51]\n\n\n\nTHE THIEF OF CHARACTER\n    --Meditation\n    --Conscience\n\nThe Unholy Thought Robs Life of Its Choicest Treasures--The Voice\nof Conscience.\n\nTHE LESSON--That as we use care in the selection of our\nconfidential friends, so, also, should we guard the choice of our\nthoughts.\n\nIt was Lowell who said:\n\n       \"Ah! let us hope that to our praise\n          Good God not only reckons\n        The moments when we tread His ways,\n          But when the spirit beckons--\n        That some slight good is also wrought\n          Beyond self-satisfaction,\n        When we are simply good in thought,\n          Howe'er we fail in action.\"\n\nThe truth that good thoughts must be encouraged every moment of our\nlives, if we would really live, is expressed by every great mind that\nthe earth has known. It is here reviewed once more.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"I am going to place on the drawing paper today the picture of a young\nman of the type which we admire--a young fellow of upright life, good\nhabits and Christian principles. We want him for our friend. [Draw\nFig. 52, complete.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 52]\n\n\"But there is another type of man whose character we can well\nillustrate by changing the lines in this first portrait. [With the broad\nside of your black crayon make the changes needed to produce Fig.\n53. Shade the face with a light touch of the broad side of the crayon.]\nHe is a dishonest man--he is willing to risk his life in taking from\nus that which does not belong to him. Do we welcome such a man to our\nhomes? No. The hand of every man is against a thief and a robber. He\nis an outcast. The law seeks to protect us from him by putting him in\nprison if he can be caught.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 53]\n\n\"I know that we agree that we should be very careful about the kind of\npeople whom we welcome to our homes. But, nevertheless the hand of\nforgiveness and uplift should be extended to every repentant sinner,\nfor Christ has so taught us. But if we should be so careful about the\npeople whom we admit into our homes, why should we not be still more\ncareful about those other visitors--our thoughts--when we admit them\nto our minds? Did you ever think of your thoughts as your visitors?\nNo, I suppose not; but we are going to consider them as visitors\ntoday.\n\n\"Ah, here comes a nice-looking thought that wants to enter into your\nhead. Fortunately, you have a faithful servant who answers the\ndoorbell every time a visitor comes. It is your Conscience, and if it\nis well trained, it will admit to your mind only the pure thoughts,\nand it will slam the door in the face of all harmful intruders. But,\nalas! we are the master of the house and sometimes when Conscience\nwould close the door to an unholy thought, we tell the servant to step\naside, and we admit the visitor. It is a shame! And the worst of it is\nthat Conscience, like an obedient servant, finally lets us have our\nown way and then we have thrust out our best friend!\n\n\"Here is a boy who has lagged behind in his school work. A\nnice-looking little thought comes along and says, 'Why not cheat just\na little? No one would know anything about it.' In a jiffy, Conscience\nis on hand trying to shut the door. But the boy welcomes the thought\ninto his head. Conscience, made bold by the threatened disaster, tries\nto show the lad that he can succeed more surely by remaining true and\nhonest, but the thought prevails, and before the boy knows it, the\ndoor is opened to a multitude of other thoughts, and the ones which\ncame last are worse than the little one which entered first. When such\na boy is grown to young manhood he finds himself robbed of character,\nrobbed of honors, robbed of noble ambitions. He is a failure. No one\ntrusts him for he cannot trust himself. He is completely at the mercy\nof his evil thoughts, and Conscience can no longer serve him.\n\n\"How gladly, then, should each one of you boys and girls welcome good\nthoughts. Make Conscience your door-keeper. The same good thought will\ncome again and again, bringing other splendid, helpful, delightful\nthoughts, and they will become the greater part of your life. Every\none of you has a thinker in his head. Be careful to keep it clean and\npure.\"\n\n\n\nJENNIE CASSEDAY\n    --Children's Day\n    --Service\n\nA Children's Day Story of What One Girl Did to Make Others\nHappy.\n\nTHE LESSON--That one little act may multiply to bless countless\nthousands.\n\nThe story of Jennie Casseday is one of the sweetest narratives of\nhumble service that can be told to children and their elders. It is a\nchapter from real life which may be copied in varied form by each one\nof us. Its use is suggested for Children's day, but it is good for\nmany other occasions.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"This morning, while we are surrounded by these beautiful flowers, and\nwhile our hearts are light as we think of all the beauty and\nbrightness that God has given us, I want to tell you the story of\nJennie Casseday and what she did to bring beauty and gladness into the\nworld. You may think that Jennie couldn't do very much, because she\nwas a poor little cripple girl. She lived at Louisville, Kentucky.\nWhen she was small, she was just as lively and happy as any other\nlittle girl; but one day she suffered from a terrible accident and\nfrom that time she was helpless. I am going to draw a picture of\nJennie's crutch to represent her suffering and her helplessness. [Draw\ncrutch with brown, Fig. 54.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 54]\n\n\"Have I said she was helpless? Well, this is what I mean: She could\nnot help herself, but she could help others, and this is how she did\nit: For several dark, painful years Jennie Casseday suffered and\nwaited--waited for something which she could do to enable her to send\nsome ray of light out into the world which would brighten other\nhearts. One day she read in the New York Observer how a young girl\nschool teacher, who lived in the outskirts of the city of Boston and\nwas employed in one of the down-town schools, was bringing brightness\ninto the homes of many poor people by taking with her large baskets of\nbeautiful roses and lilacs and snowballs and many other kinds of\nflowers from her suburban home and giving them to the children whom\nshe met. It was a simple little act, but the reading of it by Jennie\nCasseday brought a transformation in her life. I wish I knew the name\nof this young school teacher in Boston, but I can't give it to\nyou. But it was she who gave to Jennie Casseday the thought for which\nshe had longed. Jennie's suffering was almost forgotten in her\nplanning and determination to raise flowers and give them to the sick\nand the needy in Louisville. Her friends soon learned of her plans and\nthere were many willing hearts and hands to help her. Under her\nguidance the Louisville Flower Mission was established, and it soon\nproved to be a great and growing blessing. It had been doing its\nbeautiful work for four years when Miss Frances E. Willard, head of\nthe Woman's Christian Temperance Union, visited Louisville. There she\nheard of the mission and the noble young woman who founded it. Miss\nWillard visited Jennie Casseday in her sick room, and when the\nconference had closed, Jennie had been placed at the head of the\nFlower Mission department of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union,\nwhich was at that time brought into existence. This was in 1882, and\nJennie continued in this great work until the time of her death in\n1893. June 9 is observed as the Red Letter day of the Flower Mission\ndepartment of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, for this is the\nbirthday of Jennie Casseday. Every year, thousands of bouquets of\nbeautiful flowers find their way into homes of the sick and the poor\nthroughout the land. And so, with the forgetting of the sufferings of\nJennie Casseday and the remembrance of her beautiful life, I think we\nmay well change this crutch to something more commemorative of her\nlife. [With green chalk, change the crutch to a stem of a carnation,\nand with pink draw the blossom, Fig. 55.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 55]\n\n\"In Louisville, the people have sought to honor the memory of this\nyoung woman by the establishment of the Jennie Casseday Infirmary and\nthe Rest Cottage Home for Working Girls. The school children of\nLouisville erected a beautiful monument to her memory bearing an\nappropriate inscription.\n\n\"Some of us who have our health and strength may well wonder if we are\nfulfilling all of God's demands. Boys and girls, let me impress upon\nyou the thought that it is not the great, showy thing that makes\npeople love us, but the careful doing of the seemingly little things,\nwhich, when summed up, make a magnificent whole. Jennie Casseday did\nwhat she could. No more is required of us. But that much is certainly\nexpected, and we will fall short if we fail to meet the expectation.\"\n\n[A beautiful close to this talk would be the recitation or reading of\nDr. Van Dyke's poem \"Transformation,\" which may be found in \"The Blue\nFlower\" or in \"The Builders and Other Poems.\"]\n\n\n\nMOTHER\n    --Mother's Day\n    --Home Training\n\nThe Great Men of the World Pay Her the Highest of Tribute--A\nCarnation Day Thought.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the welfare of the church and of the home rests\nmore with the mothers than with the Sunday School teacher.\n\nIt is interesting to read the recorded words of some of the world's\ngreatest minds in tribute to motherhood. The following talk, quoting\nsome of these, should be an impressive lesson to the young and to the\nmothers as well.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Who are these mothers for whom we have decorated our school room and\nourselves with these beautiful flowers? [Draw, in black outline the\ncarnation blossom; add the stem in solid green, and place the\nlettering in purple, red or blue, Fig. 56.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 56]\n\n\"Surely these mothers must be of great importance or we would not be\nhaving a special service for them today. I have been reading a little\nabout mothers, to see if they are really of much value to the world,\nand I want to repeat some of the things I have read. [It is well to\nhave all of these quotations in note form to be read with accuracy.]\n\n\"I find that John Randolph, one of America's greatest statesmen, said,\n'I should have been an atheist if it had not been for one\nrecollection--and that was the memory of the time when my departed\nmother used to take my little hand in hers and cause me on my knees to\nsay, \"Our Father who art in heaven.\"'\n\n\"I find that Abraham Lincoln said of his mother, 'All that I am and\nall that I hope to be I owe to my mother. Blessings on her memory!'\n\n\"I find that George Herbert said, 'One good mother is worth a hundred\nschoolmasters.'\n\n\"I find that Oliver Wendell Holmes said,\n\n      \"'Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall;\n        A mother's secret hope outlives them all.'\n\n\"I find that Coleridge said,\n\n      \"'A mother is a mother still,\n        The holiest thing alive.'\n\n\"I find that Beecher said, 'A mother's heart is the child's school\nroom.'\n\n\"I find that Benjamin West, the great artist, said, 'A kiss from\nmy mother made me a painter.'\n\n\"I find that General Wallace, in Ben Hur, said, 'God could not be\neverywhere, so he made mothers.'\n\n\"I find everywhere the great men of the world paying loving tribute to\nthese mothers, and after all there is only one real perfect, true and\nfaultless mother in all the world and that is our own mother, whether\nshe be gone before or whether she be still with us. I am sure that\nevery one of us older ones will find ourselves in tune with the\nexpressive words of George Griffith Fetter, who wrote:\n\n      \"'The noblest thoughts my soul can claim,\n        The holiest words my tongue can frame,\n        Unworthy are to praise the name\n          More sacred than all other.\n        An infant, when her love first came--\n        A man, I find it just the same;\n        Reverently, I breathe her name,\n          The blessed name of mother.'\n\n\"And so, I answer the question that I asked at the beginning, who are\nthese mothers? Really, it seems to me that the mothers of the world\nare the power which keeps it moving toward all that is good and high\nand holy. Mother love has been a power in the world since history\ncommenced, and the scriptures are filled with beautiful demonstrations\nof it. How we love to read the story of the mother of Moses who hid\nher child in the bullrushes and then succeeded in being engaged as his\nnurse. How often has the heart thrilled at the hearing of the story of\nSamuel and his mother! How strongly the mother love manifested itself\nat the time of the judgment of Solomon who was called to determine the\npossession of the child claimed by two women. And what could be more\nbeautiful than the pictures of the devotion of the mother of Jesus to\nHim who was to be the Savior of the world?\n\n\"Verily, 'the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the\nworld,' through the love of good which the mother hopes for her\nchild. The mother of today in America has a greater problem than ever\nbefore. The boys of today are the men of tomorrow. The boys will be\nwhat the mothers make them; and with this thought, I want to change\nour drawing slightly to indicate the ever-present problem which is\nnever safe except in the hands of the right kind of mothers of the\nboys of today and of the future generations. [Add the words to\ncomplete Fig. 57.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 57]\n\n\"May God bless you, mothers, and help you to help these boys and these\ngirls to meet the great problems which are before them. You must help\nthem. Without you, they are on unsafe ground, treading perilous\npaths.\"\n\n\n\nNEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS\n    --New Year's Day\n    --Watchfulness\n\nMost of Them May be Rolled into One--\"Hold Fast to That Which Is\nGood.\"\n\nTHE LESSON--That the positive life, rather than the negative life,\nknows true happiness.\n\nWhile this talk is planned for the special application to the opening\nof the fiscal or the school or church year, it may be revised very\neasily to fit many other occasions.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Right now, at the beginning of the new year, we hear a great deal\nabout making resolutions, 'turning over a new leaf,' and so on. In\nmany cases, these things are spoken of lightly and laughingly, and\nyet, I know that many of us, away down deep in our hearts, are\nthinking of things which we are resolving to do during the new year\nand also of things which we have made up our minds not to do during\nthe coming twelve months.\n\n\"What does it signify when we do this? It means that we have made\nmistakes and that we do not intend to make the same mistakes again. It\nis a strange thing to say, but it is true, nevertheless, that a man is\na good deal like a fish in some respects. Whenever you go fishing, you\nuse just the kind of bait which you think will fool the fish the most\neasily. You should know where a certain kind of fish is likely to\nabound and then use the style of bait which that kind of fish is most\napt to mistake for something which it is not. Here, for instance, is a\ncork bobber on the surface of the water of a lake, with the line\nattached to it, and here, below, is the hook, nicely concealed from\nview by the bait in the form of an angle worm. [Draw the lines to\nfollow the talk, completing Fig. 58.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 58]\n\n\"It is evident that the fisherman who holds the line is not after the\nkind of fish which are to be captured by trolling or casting, for he\nis using the method known as still-fishing. And, sure enough, he has\nattracted a victim, a blue gill, which is making straight for what he\nthinks will mean more life to him but which probably means sure death\nunless he succeeds in getting away again. [Draw fish, completing\nFig. 59.] So, the ingenuity of man is kept active in devising means of\ncapturing game of all kinds.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 59]\n\n\"And are we not like the fish? Haven't you bitten into any baited\nhooks during the past year? Haven't you been fooled into thinking\nsomething was good for you when it turned out to be bad? Hasn't some\nalluring amusement or pastime brought disappointment or shame when you\nthought it would bring delight and satisfaction? Ah, yes. All of us\nhave been fooled in one way or another, and when we come to this time\nof the year and decide to start anew we find that it isn't so easy as\nwe thought, to get rid of many errors or vices which we would\neliminate from our lives. Perhaps some have fallen victims to habits\nwhich grip us relentlessly, and if so we can doubtless agree with Pope\nthat\n\n      \"'Vice is a monster of so frightful mien\n        As to be hated needs but to be seen:\n        Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face.\n        We first endure, then pity, then embrace.'\n\n\"As Shakespeare says, 'There is no vice so simple, but assumes some\nmark of virtue on his outward parts.' There's where the trouble\nstarts. We're completely fooled. And when we come to purify our lives\nby eliminating this thing and that, we are discouraged with the\nresult, and in many instances we give up in despair.\n\n\"How, then, are we to make our resolutions good? How are we to be sure\nthat the new leaf which we turn over will not be blown back again by\nthe first wind of passion or discouragement which comes?\n\n\"I believe we can do it by making our resolutions positive and not\nnegative. Let me explain what I mean. We are normal human beings. We\ndemand activity. There must be something doing. If we are giving our\ntime wastefully to society, to the theater, to the many other forms of\namusement we shall find ourselves most miserable if we simply resolve\nto eliminate these things from our lives. To do this is to make a\nnegative resolution. No, the thing to do is to resolve that hereafter\nour time will be spent in busying ourselves at those things which are\nwholesome, helpful to others, and of such a character to bring delight\nto us because of the service we can render to the world. What can you\ndo? Why, the field to do good is never overcrowded. The church and\nthe Sunday school offer many avenues of activity. Find out the thing\nyou can do best--uncover your talent. Get busy at good works, and then\nthere will be no room for the objectionable things and they will die\nout because good habits are growing in their stead.\n\n\"To do this is the surest way to 'set your mind on the things that are\nabove, not on things that are upon the earth,' and when this is done\nwe need have little concern about our happiness.\"\n\n\n\nTHE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER\n    --Light\n    --Danger\n\nAll Light, Shining in the Darkness, Is Either a Guide or a\nWarning.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the Bible sends out two kinds of light, guiding\nand warning, and that all who neglect it are groping in the dark,\n\"loving darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.\"\n\nThe word Light, appears very frequently in the scriptures as a type of\nthe highest human good. All of the most joyous emotions of the mental\nand physical natures of man are described in the imagery of light.\nThroughout the Book it is used to typify the true religion and\nhappiness.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"When we go riding in an automobile after dark, we light the lamps at\nthe front and at the rear. Why do we light the lamps? So the light\nwill shine on the roadway and we will be able to see where we are\ngoing and thus avoid mishap and injury? Yes, but how about the lamp at\nthe rear? Oh, we light that one so other people will not run into\nus. Yes, and that, too, is one of the great reasons why we light the\nfront lamps. If we were to start out on a night journey with no lamps\nburning, there would be great danger of accident, and especially if we\nwere to meet another automobile which had no lights burning. We would\nbe apt to bump into each other. The law recognizes all this and\ncompels us to keep our automobile lights brilliantly shining.\n\n\"Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist, tells the story that as he was\nwalking along a dark city street one night, he met a man, who carried\nan object in each of his hands. Something about the man's actions\nexcited the curiosity of Mr. Moody, and he stopped to speak to\nhim. The thing that caused Mr. Moody to wonder was this: The man held\nin one hand a lighted lantern, and in the other a cane with which he\nwas feeling his way along the street. As he stopped, Mr. Moody saw\nthat the man was blind. He was so much interested that he spoke to the\nman, saying:\n\n\"'Since you are blind, why do you carry a lantern? It doesn't help you\nto see your way.'\n\n\"'No,' replied the man, 'I carry it to keep people from running into\nme.'\n\n\"So, here, you see, was an instance of carrying a light, not to enable\none to see his way but to guard himself against harm from those who\nwould be warned thereby.\n\n\"Ofttimes, you have seen red lanterns placed along streets where\ndangerous obstructions are left in the pathway of travel. These lights\nare to warn people of possible harm.\n\n\"As Christians, we, too, must have a light on our pathway to guide us\nthrough life, and this same light will also guard us against harm.\nThat light comes from Jesus Christ through his word. With the light of\nhis love within us we can never mistake the way. If we have that\nlight, temptations may come to us, but they cannot harm us because\nthat light warns them away. This light is our guide and our guard.\nGod's word, the Psalmist declares, 'is a lamp unto my feet and a light\nunto my path.'\n\n\"The story is told of a traveler in the west who, separated from the\nother members of his party, was climbing slowly up the rocky side of a\nrugged mountain. [Draw the man and the lines of the mountain.] His\nprogress was slow, not only because of the difficulty in climbing up\nthe slippery and treacherous rocks, but because the mountain top was\nshrouded in a heavy mist or cloud, which made it impossible for him to\nsee more than a few feet ahead of him. [Draw the cloud line to\ncomplete Fig. 60.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 60]\n\n\"All at once, the bright sunlight broke through the mist, and the man\nwas horrified to find that he was on the very brink of a high\nprecipice and that a climb of a few more feet would have meant death\nand destruction to him. [Draw lines to complete Fig. 61.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 60]\n\n\"Everywhere in life does our pathway lead toward danger. The saloon\nwould claim the young man. The Light says, 'Whosoever is deceived\nthereby is not wise.' Perhaps the temptation comes to be dishonest in\ndealing with other people. The Light says, 'All things therefore\nwhatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also\nunto them.' Whatever the temptation, whatever the perplexity, however\ndeep the darkness, this Light is ours, not only to brighten the way\nbut to warn the evil thing to depart from us. And, having received\nthis light, let us remember continually that Christ said, 'Ye are the\nlight of the world. Let your light so shine before men that they may\nsee your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.'\"\n\n\n\nTHE OPEN SALOON DOOR\n    --Temperance Day\n    --Destruction\n\nThe Young Man Who Enters Therein Endangers His Whole After\nLife.\n\nTHE LESSON--That both the soul and the body are threatened with\ndestruction by indulgence in strong drink.\n\nThis temperance lesson possesses one of the \"surprise\" features which\nare permissible only when they lose themselves in the greatness of the\ntruth they present. In preparing for the talk, be sure that your guide\nlines are properly placed. You must be provided with a sharp penknife\nto use in cutting the \"doors\" in the picture. The dotted lines for\nenlarging the picture are omitted for fear of confusion, but these may\nbe drawn over Fig. 62, with a hard pencil, and the desired purpose be\naccomplished.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"To us who realize the terrible results of the use of strong drink,\nand who are trying to do our part in protecting the boys and young men\nfrom the blighting influence of the saloon, there is something most\ndiscordant in the way in which these places parade their false\nattractiveness; for many there are who do not realize that they are a\ntrap which, to enter, may prove fatal to life and hope.\n\n\"The great question is, why can they not see the danger? That is the\nmystery, for down through the ages has come the thunder of warning\nagainst this great enemy of mankind. 'Look not thou upon the wine when\nit is red,' cries out King Solomon. 'At the last it biteth like a\nserpent and stingeth like an adder.' 'Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow?\nWho hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that\ntarry long at the wine.'\n\n\"One look at the saloon door should cause the young man to recoil in\nhorror, for he may see there, if he but heed, the very warning of\ndeath. Let him look upon it. Let us see what he may behold. [Draw the\noutline of the windows, the sign and the lower horizontal line of\nFig. 62, omitting, for the present, the lettering.] This, let us\nsuppose, is the front of the saloon which invites him to enter its\ndoors. [Draw very lightly the lines indicated by the dotted lines A.]\nProminently displayed are the evidences that intoxicating liquors are\nsold there. [Draw with red chalk the words, \"Dealers in Wine, Porter,\nWhiskeys, Bourbon, Etc.,\" completing Fig. 62. There is no more drawing\nto do; the remaining step is taken by the aid of the penknife.] Here\nwe have the front of the saloon.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 62]\n\n\"There is one thing about the drink habit that we can easily\nunderstand, and there is one thing about it that I suppose we shall\nnever understand. We can realize why the man who is bound by this\nawful curse does not break his bonds; how willingly would he do it\n_if he believed he could_. But, as we have observed, it is a\nmystery why a boy or a young man, with numberless powerful and\nconvincing proofs before him, will deliberately enter the doorway of a\nsaloon. But once within, all may seem bright and happy and\njoyous--perhaps the victim is led to believe that father and mother\nare misinformed, since there seems to be nothing but gaiety there. But\nhe finds, all too soon, that the liquor which seemed at first to make\nlittle difference in his life, is becoming his master, and never does\nhe realize it so well as when he tries to free himself. Why and how\nhas the saloon changed his life? The story is a simple one, and he\nshould have seen the reason before he entered, because there it is,\nwritten plainly upon the outside of the place which has meant his\nruin.\n\n[With your penknife cut the paper along the lines A. Do _not_ cut\non the lines B. Fold back the two \"doors,\" at B, as if they were\nhinged. It may be necessary to hold them back with thumb tacks or\npins. To heighten the effect it is well to have placed a blackened\nsheet of paper beneath the top sheet, so as to produce the effect\nillustrated. Add \"And Poison Kills!\" This completes Fig. 63.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 63]\n\n\"The saloon may try to hide its real self, but every time it opens its\ndoors to allow one of its victims to come out, it proclaims to the\nworld that it traffics in _poison_--poison fatal to happiness,\nfatal to hope, fatal to health, fatal to all the higher and nobler\naspirations of life. Everywhere is this truth proclaimed. From the\ninsane asylums come the testimony. The jails cry out that it is\ntrue. The poor houses tell of its blight. Poverty-burdened homes and\nbroken hearts everywhere proclaim the awful truth.\n\n\"And yet, the land is cursed with these dram shops whose owners care\nonly for the money which comes to them and which should go to the\nadvancement of the happiness and the uplift of him who is their\nvictim. Boys, may we plead with you today never to allow this thing to\nenter your life to keep you from being all that God wants you to be?\"\n\n\n\nTHE SIMPLE LIFE\n    --Haste\n    --Quietness\n\nThe True Christian Life is the Safe, Sensible, Simple Life.\n\nTHE LESSON--That speed and greed must of necessity end in dire\ndisaster.\n\nIt is a splendid thing to teach the boys and girls the lesson that\ntrue happiness attends the quiet, yet active life, while the race\nafter vain things brings only bitterness and disappointment.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n[Because of the details in the drawing of the boat, it is advisable,\nwe think, to complete Fig. 64 before beginning the talk.]\n\n\"In these days the very air seems filled with the 'speed germ.'\nAutomobiles whiz here and there, and many a hen which now tries to\ncross the country road never gets more than half way. We who live in\ntown have to keep a sharp lookout or we are apt to share the fate of\nmany a valuable Buff Cochin or Plymouth Rock. Trains speed along their\nglistening rails faster than ever before. Great ships skim across the\nocean in days instead of weeks. The aeroplane, which needs neither\nsteel rails nor water to glide upon, darts through space still more\nrapidly. Everybody seems to be in a hurry, whether he is or not. We\nare impatient if the street car is half a minute late, when we are\nfully aware that we have plenty of time to reach our destination.\n\n\"Again, we fret and work because we aren't getting rich fast\nenough. We get mad at our neighbor because he buys an automobile and\ndespise him because we can't figure where he got the money with which\nto do it. We aren't satisfied with having $50,000. We want\n$500,000. And if we should get it, we would be just as dissatisfied\nand go chasing after a million. What's the matter with us? Are we\ncrazy? Some women spend $50,000 a year on their clothes, whose mothers\ndressed better, looked better, felt better and were better on $500 or\neven a single hundred! In our mad chase after vain things how blind we\nare to the things of true worth and usefulness!\n\n\"Every little while we get a shock that ought to bring us to our\nsenses. When we learn of a terrible railroad wreck, we may expect to\nfind the blame placed on someone for disobeying orders, or for other\ncarelessness, but the true cause in nearly every instance is the cry\nof the public--of you and me and the other fellow--for speed--more\nspeed--and still more speed!\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 64]\n\n\"The greatest marine disaster in the world's history was the staking\nof the magnificent White Star line steamship, the Titanic, in April,\n1912. [Remove your cover sheet and display Fig. 64.] Larger, faster\nand more costly than any vessel ever before built, it left its docks\nwith its hundreds of passengers and members of the crew--a floating\ncity in itself. Among the passengers were many whose names are\nrecorded on the rolls of the world's greatest scientists, financiers,\nartists and authors. With eager, happy hearts, they looked forward to\nthe celebration in New York which awaited the arrival of this foremost\nof the world's floating palaces. Alas, it was never to be! The story\nis too horrible for repetition. The fatal collision with the great\niceberg--the heroism, the sacrifice, the loss of hundreds of precious\nlives as the vessel plunged into the depths of the ocean, are known in\nall their horror. [Add lines to produce Fig. 65.] The few in the\nlifeboats, looking toward the sinking vessel, heard the ship's band\nplaying 'Nearer, My God, to Thee,' as the great ship, with its living\nload sank from sight. Hundreds of broken hearts still mourn the loss\nof dear ones, and all because the big, loaded ship was forced to run a\nrace with time! Those in charge knew of the presence of the\nicebergs. They could have saved the loss by changing their route or\nslackening their speed, but the cry was, 'Hurry! Hurry! Break the\nrecord!'\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 65]\n\n\"Aren't we all doing the same thing! The speed mania possesses us. The\nsenseless race for worldly wealth and honor blinds us to the presence\nof threatened disaster. Let us quickly change our course. Christ our\nMaster, points the way of safety. He has gone that way himself, and he\nasks each humble follower to take the course which He has so plainly\nmarked out. It is the way of truth and peace. If we take it, we shall\navoid every danger of a spiritual crash, which may mean disaster for\nsoul as well as body.\"\n\n\n\nWARMTH AND COLDNESS\n    --Sunday\n    --Rest\n\nA Talk on Sunday Observance and Its Relation to the Christian\nLife.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the things we think and do on the Lord's day are a\ntrue index of our character.\n\nThe importance of the matter of Sunday observance must not be\nunderestimated by the teacher whose endeavor it is to mould into true\nmanhood and womanhood the lives of the boys and girls in her care.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"How many of you boys and girls ever played the game called 'Hide the\nThimble?' Ah, I thought so--nearly everybody. One person bides the\nthimble and all the others try to find it; the one who discovers it\nfirst gets the chance to hide it the next time. Sometimes, the one who\nhas hidden it assists the others to find it by saying, 'You are warm'\nor 'You are cold,' depending upon the nearness to or the distance from\nthe hidden thimble.\n\n\"When we stop to think about it, we find that many things in the world\nare just like this game. Your life and mine are a great deal like\nit. Sometimes there is something within us that tells us we are\nwandering away from God--that tells us we are _growing cold_. And\nthen, if we heed the warning, we hear the same voice saying we are\n_growing warmer_, and we know it to be true for we feel the\nassurance that we are nearer to the Master than before.\n\n\"I am going to draw on the paper this morning a thermometer, and with\nthis thermometer we shall make some tests to see just what it means to\nbe warm Christians or cold ones. [Draw the thermometer, Fig. 66,\ncomplete, excepting the liquid in the bulb.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 66]\n\n\"Now we are ready to make the test, and we are going to do it by\nfinding out how we spend our Sundays. Why? Because if you can know\njust how a boy or girl or a man or woman spends the Lord's day, you\ncan tell pretty nearly just what kind of a person that one is in the\nsight of Jesus Christ.\n\n\"God gave us this one day for our greatest good. He wants us to use it\nas a day which shall make us strong and well, bright and happy. If we\nuse it any other way, we are sure to make one of the greatest mistakes\nof our lives. So certain is God that we must have a day of rest and\nupbuilding once in each seven days that he made a law concerning\nit. It is one of the Ten Commandments, which says that we must\n'remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.' God knows best. When He\nestablishes a law, _it must not be broken or the one who breaks it\nwill suffer_. If the child touches fire with his hand, after being\nwarned by his mother not to do it, his suffering is the result of\ndoing what the mother forbade. When God tells us to keep His day holy,\nevery one of us who disobeys that command must suffer. Let us see how\nit works. Bishop Vincent says: 'Sunday is ill-spent if it sends us\nback to our weekly work irritated, weary and reluctant'--and Sunday\nwill never do that for us unless we misuse the day which God has given\nus. If we spend the day in worrying about our everyday affairs, if we\nspend it in chasing around after senseless amusements which weary the\nbody without enlightening the heart and the mind, if we allow\nourselves to follow paths which lead away from truth and right, then\nwe will show up Monday morning irritated, weary and reluctant and our\nSunday observance temperature is low indeed. [With red chalk, fill\nthe bulb and a portion of the thermometer tube, completing Fig. 66.]\n\n\"But Bishop Vincent also says, 'Sunday is well spent if it sends us\nback refreshed in body, mind and spirit to take up our duties with new\ninspiration of hope, patience and courage.' And we can all do this;\nand, as we do it, we shall find a growing delight in it. If we have\nbeen wasting our Sundays--spending them in such a way that when Monday\nmorning comes we look back upon the Sabbath with regret--let us begin\nright now to form habits which shall make Sunday a delight--the\nbrightest, the most restful, the most interesting, the most refreshing\nof all times. And let us be thankful that a day of this kind can come\nto us so often. It is then that our Sunday observance temperature will\nrise to its highest point. [With red chalk add lines to complete\nFig. 67.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 67]\n\n\"Dr. Lyman Abbott, like many others points out the folly of attending\nchurch services in the morning and then passing the remainder of the\nday in noisy or wearisome celebration. He calls it a 'weekly composite\nof Thanksgiving and Fourth of July,'--Thanksgiving in the quiet of the\nmorning, and Fourth of July in the noisy afternoon.\n\n\"Such an observance of the day is displeasing to God who gave us the\nday for our greatest good and not to be wasted in idleness and folly.\n\n\"Keeping the Lord's day holy doesn't deprive us of activity, but it\nchanges the course of our action from paths of wastefulness to fields\nof the greatest good. There are many things to do on Sunday, and in\nthe doing of some of them right at your hands, you will have\ndiscovered the best way for you to get the most out of one of God's\ngreatest gifts to his children.\"\n\n\n\nTHE DESERT and the MOUNTAIN\n    --Decision Day\n    --Conversion\n\nA Decision Day Illustration From the Far West--\"Living Water.\"\n\nTHE LESSON--That as the desert cannot become productive until it\nreceives the waters of irrigation, so the arid soul, if it is to\nbecome fruitful, must receive the water of life.\n\nWhile this illustration is especially applicable to the service of\nDecision Day, it is recommended for any occasion where there is\nopportunity to speak of conversion or a returning to Christ.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"A gentleman, a little past middle life, was traveling from the east\nin a luxurious passenger train crossing one of the far western\nstates. As he gazed from the car window, his face wore an expression\nof interest, which developed into one of wonder and excitement.\n\n\"'Can it be,' he exclaimed, addressing the man who sat with him, 'that\nI am passing through the very same country which I saw but a few short\nyears ago? It seems impossible!'\n\n\"Now, why did it seem impossible? Let us find out. It appears that\nwhen the man traveled the state before, he looked out of the car\nwindows upon a scene of barrenness and desolation. [As you speak, draw\nFig. 68 with brown crayon. Be sure to leave the mountain peaks white,\nbut, in order to secure an impressive pastel effect use the broad side\nof your brown and your yellow crayons lightly over the entire area of\ndesert and mountain side.] The earth was dry and parched, and in all\ndirections, as far as the eye could see, grew only the sage brush--the\nmark of the desert. There was no life, excepting an occasional coyote,\nand the reflected heat and light made travel almost unbearable. The\nmonotonous earth was composed of the leveled deposits of the mountains\nwhich the sun had baked for centuries.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 68]\n\n[As you continue, change the scene by covering the brown with\ngreen. Draw the foliage of the trees with green and the trunks with\nbrown. Life may be added by touching the trees with the red and the\nyellow and the orange to indicate the fruit. The thought is to\ntransform the desert into a place of fruitfulness. This completes\nFig. 69.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 69]\n\n\"But now, all was changed as if by a magic touch. In place of the sage\nbrush and the broad wastes of baking earth, the man beheld here great\norchards, with hundreds of fruit trees, laden with glistening apples,\noranges and pears, and wide fields were covered with bounteous crops\nof grain. The once arid wilderness was now the fertile dwelling place\nof many happy families.\n\n\"What had wrought this great change? Nothing but the hand and mind of\nman, guided by the maker of the universe, who seems to have stored\nrich treasures everywhere for those who will reach out for them. It\nhappened in this way:\n\n\"One day, a certain man beheld the snow-capped mountains--cold and\nforbidding--and then he turned his gaze to the earth--parched and\ndead. He knew that if he could only unite the waters of the\nsnow-capped mountains with the dead earth below them, 'the desert\nwould blossom as the rose.' Before this thing happened, two-thirds of\nthe entire area of the United States was a desert waste. But the\nwaters were brought down, and the great transformation followed.\nGradually, the arid waste is disappearing and the forces of irrigation\nare expanding; and the vast western country is unfolding to the\nmillions who are spreading over its newly-discovered areas of wealth.\n\n\"Let us turn quickly to the application. There are, in every\ncommunity, many human deserts--men and women, boys and girls, whose\nunproductive lives need the waters of life to make them blossom and\nbring forth fruit in His kingdom. Perhaps they have beheld Him only as\na cold, forbidding mountain peak, and if this is true, they should\ncatch the spirit of the Psalmist who cried, 'My soul thirsteth for\nthee; my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no\nwater is.'\n\n\"In the case of the desert, it is conversion, pure and simple. May the\nheavenly waters of His grace come to each one of us today, whether it\nbe a first decision to be united with Him, or whether it be a decision\nto return to Him whom we have deserted.\n\n\"Our duty toward our fellow men conies before us happily in these\nwords from the prophet Isaiah, 'If thou draw out thy soul to the\nhungry and afflicted soul, thou shalt be like a spring of water whose\nwaters fail not.'\"\n\n\n\nREFLECTING AND BLESSING\n    --Helpfulness\n    --Testimony\n\nThose Who Are \"The Light of the World\" Should be a Guide to Those\nWho Are in Darkness.\n\nTHE LESSON--That those who have received the light from God's Word\nshould gladly reflect that light to those about them.\n\nThe central thought of this illustration is the responsibility which\nrests upon God's children in the spreading of the brightness of\nChristianity to those who must receive it through them. It is\nappropriate for many occasions and will fit audiences of all ages in\nwhich the children form a part.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"It is said that once upon a time a teacher asked a boy to tell her\nwhether the sun or the moon is of the greater importance to the world.\n\n\"'The moon,' replied the boy.\n\n\"'Why,' inquired the teacher, 'do you think the moon is of more\nbenefit to the world than the sun is?'\n\n\"'Because,' said the boy, 'the moon shines at night when we need it,\nbut the sun shines only in the daytime when we do not need it.'\n\n\"That was certainly a strange kind of an answer; wasn't it? I will\ndraw the earth and the moon to show more plainly just how mistaken the\nboy was. [Draw the earth circle and the moon circle, and show the\nshaded parts as you proceed.]\n\n\"Here we have the earth with one-half in darkness, and here is the\nmoon with one-half in darkness. This side of the earth is light, while\nthis other side would be very dark indeed if it were not for the rays\nof light coming from the moon, like this: [Draw dotted line showing\nrays of light going from the moon to the earth, completing Fig. 70].\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 70]\n\n\"Now, then we ask, can the moon shine upon the earth all of itself\nwithout any help? Ah, no--and that is the thing the boy didn't know,\nor he never would have answered as he did. Where does the moon get its\nlight from? Yes, from the sun. I will draw part of a circle to\nrepresent the sun. [Draw the sun.] And this dotted line [draw dotted\nline from sun to moon, completing Fig. 71] shows how the sun sends its\nbrilliant light to the moon, so that the moon may reflect part of it\nback to the earth which would be enshrouded in darkness if it were not\nfor the sun. The moon acts just like a mirror which you hold in your\nhand and use to reflect the sun's rays wherever you please.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 71]\n\n\"Sometimes the moon gets between the earth and the sun, and it is then\nthat it does not reflect the sun's light and it is then that we have\nnights of inky blackness.\n\n\"I wonder if we have ever stopped to think how very much we Christian\npeople are, or ought to be, like the moon. Just as the sun warms and\nlights everything about it, so the love of God lights and warms those\nwho turn their faces toward him. We can truly say with the Psalmist,\nthat 'the Lord is my light and salvation,' but we have not fulfilled\nour mission on earth if we are willing merely to receive this light of\nhappiness, of contentment, of trust and of faith, without reflecting\nit in every possible practical way. When Jesus said to those about\nhim, 'Ye are the light of the world,' he also said, 'Let your light\nshine,' and He pictured to His followers their duty of spreading the\nlight of their blessings to the world of darkness about them. Paul\ntouched upon the same great truth when he wrote to the church at Rome\nthat its members should be 'a light to them which are in darkness.'\n\n\"How may we best reflect this light of heaven? It is for each of us to\ndetermine this for himself, being governed entirely by his\ncircumstances, his abilities and his opportunities. But, first of all,\nwe must be sure we have received that light as God would have us\nreceive it. None of us can be perfect, but we can live close to our\ngreat ideal and by learning constantly from Him, we shall find the\nlight coming to us more clearly and more beautifully as the days go\nby. We shall find a deeper sympathy for those who suffer, warmer love\nfor those whom we may have condemned, and an increasing desire to be\nof greater help to those who really need help. When we have reached\nthis condition--when we have truly received the light--we need give\nlittle thought to the manner in which we shall reflect it.\n\n\"Abraham Lincoln once said, 'I do the best I know, the very best I\ncan, and I mean to keep right on doing so till the end.' Such a life\nsends its rays down through the generations that are to follow, and\nits reflected light never fades away.\"\n\n\n\nHIDDEN SUNSHINE\n    --Missionary Day\n    --Love\n\nHow the Warmth and Brightness Stored Away Ages Ago Are Now of\nService to Man.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the true missionary spirit is the spreading abroad\nof the warmth of God's blessings which we have received.\n\nThe principles governing missions are permeated with the elements of\nlove, unselfishness and self-sacrifice. This talk may be used,\ntherefore, as a missionary day topic or on any occasion in which it is\nappropriate to dwell upon any of its attributes.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Once upon a time, long before there were any people on the earth and\nperhaps before there were any animals or birds or reptiles here, the\nworld was covered with an immense, luxuriant growth of vegetation.\nHow do we know it? The geologists tell us so. They have dug deep into\nthe earth and they have examined what they found, and they have long\nago determined that this condition is true. It would seem that in\nthose ages of long ago the world must have been very different from\nwhat it is now, for the seas flowed over vast areas which are now\nsolid ground. Immense trees grew in those times, and the great ferns\nand palms and tropical plants grew in portions where now they cannot\ngrow because it is too cold. I want to draw some trees and bushes to\nrepresent this great growth. [Draw trees and bushes of Fig. 72 in\ngreen.] And also the bright warm sun which, together with the\nabundance of water, caused them to grow so profusely. [Draw the sun in\norange, completing Fig. 72.] Then, the geologists tell us, there came\na great change. There were awful volcanic disturbances which caused\nthe sea to overflow great areas of these trees and bushes and ferns,\nand they were buried from sight by a vast expanse of water. Gradually,\nthough, another change came. The waters receded into lesser areas and\nthe ground arose from beneath the waves. But the trees and the bushes\nand the ferns were gone. Where? They had been buried deep beneath the\nmud and sand and stones which the waters had washed over them. Then,\nafter that, God created the monster mastodon and the mammoth and many\nother beasts which have since disappeared from the earth, and finally\nman was created to have dominion over the earth. For many centuries\nafterward, no one knew that the earth was once the place of immense\ntrees and ferns and rank vegetable growth which had since been buried\nbeneath the surface. But one day, some of this old, buried vegetable\nmatter was found and brought to the surface of the earth. By that time\nit was not green any longer. It was hard and compact and looked very\nmuch like black stone. Someone seemed to think it would burn if fire\nwere applied to it. And, strange to say, it did burn.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 72]\n\n\"Thus was coal discovered.\n\n\"Ever since then, we have been digging from the depths of the earth\nthe coal which was deposited there in those ages of the past. And it\nis blessing the world everywhere. [With the broad side of your black\ncrayon, quickly cover the vegetation of Fig. 72. Then, with broad\nstrokes of the orange chalk, or with a combination of the yellow and\nthe red, draw the flames, completely covering the sun, and finishing\nFig. 73.] Coal is now the chief of the elements which bring warmth to\nour homes, our places of business and everywhere that we are spending\nour time indoors; it is the great factor in our great manufacturing\nand transportation enterprises. God laid it all up for us millions of\nyears ago!\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 73]\n\n\"Thus do we find a splendid example of what real service is. Jesus\ncame to the earth to be of service to the world. When he departed, He\nleft behind Him the command that the gospel should be preached to\nevery creature--that the light and warmth from His life should not\nremain buried in us but that we should take that warmth to every\nportion of the earth, that it might, like the hidden sunshine in the\ncoal, bring life to those in the cold and darkness of heathenism.\n\n\"Not many of us are able to carry this word to foreign lands or to the\ndistant parts of our own land; but we have an important part in it in\ncontributing our money, our encouragement and our prayers.\n\n\"And not only may we do this but we may begin right here in our midst\nto make our school and church a missionary blessing to those nearby\nones who need its warmth. Remember that 'we are ambassadors,\ntherefore, on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us.'\"\n\n\n\n\"JOHNNIE APPLESEED\"\n    --Boys' Day\n    --Devotion\n\nStory of the Man Who Braved the Dangers of the Wilderness to Bless\nthe Early Settlers.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the influence of a well-spent life is its best and\nmost enduring monument. It always adds fame to a good name.\n\nThe story of \"Johnnie Appleseed\" is dear to the hearts of thousands of\nboys and girls throughout America. The writer has listened\ninterestedly to narratives of the late George W. Brackenridge, of Fort\nWayne, Ind., who remembered clearly the visits of \"Johnnie\" to his\nearly home. The story is abundant in good lessons, and ought to be of\nspecial interest on Boys' Day.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"I am going to talk to you today about a man who paddled his canoe\nalong the rivers in the middle west and roamed the wild forests when\nthere were very few settlers in that country and while the hostile\nIndians brought terror to the hearts of many who had braved the\ndangers of the frontier. This sounds like a dime novel tale, doesn't\nit? Yes, but it is a true story. It is the story of 'Johnnie\nAppleseed.' How many of you ever heard of him? [Govern yourself in the\nfollowing remarks, by the acquaintance of your audience with the\nsubject.]\n\n\"It was in the year 1801, that John Chapman then a young man of\ntwenty-six years, aroused some interest by appearing with several\nsacks of appleseeds which he had procured from the cider mills in\nwestern Pennsylvania. The first orchard he planted was on the farm of\nIsaac Stadden in Licking county, Ohio, and, from this beginning, his\nenthusiasm developed until he decided to go all through the wilderness\nas far as he could reach and plant apple orchards wherever they could\nbe made to grow.\n\n\"One day a lone settler near Marietta, Ohio, saw a strange craft\nfloating down the Ohio river. The boatman was John Chapman, but from\nthat time forward he was known as 'Johnnie Appleseed' by the settlers\nbetween the Ohio river and the Great Lakes and as far west as the\nterritory which is now the State of Indiana. I will draw a map to show\nyou where he was and where he went.\n\n[In the drawing of the \"map,\" which is, in reality, at the last, the\nbranch of an apple tree, use brown crayon for the \"rivers\" and green\nfor the \"orchards,\" carrying the drawings forward as the various\npoints are mentioned. Strict accuracy has not been observed in the map\ndrawing.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 74]\n\n\"Here is the Ohio river, where he first appeared. [Draw the Ohio\nriver. Do not label the rivers. The names are given for your guidance\nonly.] He had two canoes tied side by side, and they were filled with\napple seeds. He paddled against the stream as he turned his canoe into\nthe Muskingum river, and then up into the Walhonding river, and then\ninto the Mohican and finally into the creek called the Black Pork. It\ntook a long time to go this short distance, for he stopped off every\nlittle while to find suitable places in the wilderness to plant apple\nseeds. And these, of course, grew up, in later years, to fruitful\norchards. [Draw the orchards in green. Your drawing will now resemble\nFig. 74.] This was but the beginning. From that time until 'Johnnie\nAppleseed' was 72 years of age he devoted his life to converting the\nwaste wild land into orchards. During the war of 1812 he warned\nsettlers against the Indians and helped to save many lives. He\ndressed in skins and was respected by the Indians, who considered him\na very wise medicine man. Many trips he made back to Pennsylvania,\nwhenever his seed supply was exhausted. In every rude cabin home which\nhe visited, 'Johnnie Appleseed' read the Scriptures, and hundreds were\nhelped to better lives through his teachings. He was noted for his\ngentleness and kindness. He died, in 1847, near Fort Wayne, Ind.\n\n\"Here was a man, boys, who devoted his life to helping others.\nDr. Hillis, of New York, has woven his life into a most beautiful\nstory, 'The Quest of John Chapman,' and others have sung his praises\nin verse and narrative. Let us learn from him the lesson of devoting\none's life to making other people happy. I will add a few lines to\nindicate all that John Chapman tried to do. [Add apples in red,\nconverting the map into a branch bearing apples, Fig. 75.] But he did\nvastly more than this. He brought brightness into many a heart during\nhis long years of usefulness, and while he helped to make the Middle\nWest a fruit-growing country, the real fruit of his work was that of\nhelpfulness, sympathy and brightness through Christ, who guided him in\nhis strange work.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 75]\n\n\"'A sower went forth to sow.' If the kind of ground in which he sowed\ndid not bring forth fruit, it was not the fault of the tireless\nsower.\"\n\n\n\nPUBLIC SENTIMENT\n    --Home Department Day\n    --Unity\n\nIt is a Powerful Element--An Illustration for Home Department\nDay.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the earnest prayers and work of the stay-at-home\nmembers are a great inspiration to the active workers in the\nschool.\n\nHome Department Day in the Sunday School may be made a most helpful\nevent in the life of the school and in the lives of those who do not\nenjoy the privilege of attending the services regularly. Many who are\nusually employed on Sunday, in hotels, boarding houses, railroad\npositions, and the like, can ofttimes arrange to attend this session\nprepared especially for them. It is assumed that you have been\nsupplying the members of the Home Department with lesson helps, and\nthat you have kept in touch with them. Souvenirs may be sent to\ninvalids and aged people as well as to other members who cannot be\npresent. The colors are purple and white; the flower, the violet.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"I am going to draw for you today the portrait of one who exerts the\nmost powerful influence in this community. [Draw the outline of the\nhead, omitting the facial lines. Fig. 76.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 76]\n\n\"But before I finish the portrait I want you to know that if it were\nnot for this one we would never have had our beautiful parks or our\nmagnificent court house. It was he who attended to the paving of our\nstreets. We would have had no public library but for him. There would\nhave been no public schools here, and no church spires would be\npointing heavenward, if he had not sanctioned them. We would never\nhave had our water works system, our sewerage system or our electric\nlights. In short, we never would have had any of the great public\nbenefactions but for him. And I am sorry to add, too, that we would\nnever have had any saloons but for him.[Footnote: Substitute words\ndescribing local conditions.] [Draw the letters composing the words,\n\"Public Sentiment,\" completing Fig. 77.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 77]\n\n\"Yes, this is Public Sentiment. And what is public sentiment? I think\nit may be described best as the expression of the will of the greatest\nnumber of people in a community. It is the voice of the majority. It\nis only when people want things that they get them. As the years go\nby, the people themselves are becoming more and more mighty in\ndirecting the work of those whom they have chosen to represent them.\n\n\"A contractor is not the builder of a public library or a public\nschool. These are built by the people who are united in sentiment for\na library or a school; the contractor is only the hired man who does\nthe bidding of the people. The residents of a city themselves bring\ninto existence beautiful streets, magnificent public buildings and\nideal health conditions; or else they bring to themselves the saloon\nand other degrading institutions, all depending upon public sentiment.\n\n\"And so it is with the church and the Sunday School. The human factor\nwhich keeps this school prosperous comes not from the superintendent\nor the officers or the teachers alone. Its success is due largely to\nthe public sentiment outside of the school. It is the sentiment of the\nfathers and mothers of these boys and girls, many of whom, while their\nhearts are with us, cannot attend the sessions regularly. It is the\nsentiment of you who are so loyal to us and whose prayers for the\nschool have been so effective. It is the sentiment of you members of\nthe Home Department who have shown in every way the appreciation of\nthis school. The knowledge that you are with us is a powerful help.\n\n\"During the dark days of the civil war there were two armies fighting\nthe battles of the North and of the South--the army that was in the\nfield and the army that stayed at home, the great silent partners in\nthe awful conflict. The latter was composed largely of the noble\nmothers and sisters, whose daily prayers ascended to heaven while\ntheir sad hearts and nimble fingers provided the comforts for the\nbrave boys at the front.\n\n\"So, with the members of the Home Department, we have come to think of\nyou as 'silent partners' in the work of our school. And as occasion\ndevelops, we want you to feel that here is your place of\nactivity--your school.\n\n\"But we shall remember the words of Paul, 'We have many members in one\nbody, and all the members have not the same office,' and we shall not\nforget the important places in our school of those who are enrolled in\nour Home Department.\"\n\n\n\nTHE BROOK\n    --Gossip\n    --Our Words\n\nThe Life Which is Tainted by the Habit of Speaking Unkind Words\nFalls Short of Its Highest Mission.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the subtle practice of speaking carelessly\nconcerning other people poisons many an otherwise worthy life.\n\nThe teacher who leads the child to cultivate the strictest care in his\nthoughts and in his words, as they relate especially to those about\nhim, has helped to lay the foundation of a life of true worth to his\nfellows. The tendency is toward a habit of fault-finding criticism\nwhich not only harms the object of the disparaging words, but which\ninjures and undermines the usefulness of the life of the habitually\nunfair critic.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Marion Lawrance, whose influence permeates much of the work for the\nadvancement of the Sunday School of today, uses a most striking\nillustration to show the baneful result of the use of words which harm\nthose about whom they are spoken. Standing before his audience, he\ndisplays a rose in full bloom. Mr. Lawrance then deliberately destroys\nthe beautiful flower by removing one daintily tinted leaf after\nanother until only the bare stem remains and the delicate petals\nlitter the floor and the speaker's table. During the process, the\nspeaker explains that none but God could have made such a rose; it\nspeaks of His love and His power, of His tenderness and of His care\nfor His children. But any human hand can destroy it. So it is with\nthat treasure which we call our good name--our reputation among\nmen. Through the grace of God we may live so true that we deserve the\nrespect and honor of our fellowmen; and yet, that good name, that\nreputation, may suffer irreparable injury at the hands of one who,\nthrough deliberate design or careless habit, speaks words concerning\nus which cause us to be misjudged or misunderstood. Says Samuel\nButler:\n\n      \"'The feeblest vermin can destroy\n        As sure as stoutest beasts of prey;\n        And only with their eyes and breath,\n        Infect and poison men to death.'\n\n\"Let us illustrate the point by placing on the paper a little\nlandscape. [Draw Fig. 78 complete leaving the right half of the paper\nblank.] We have before us a great, wide river, a stream which forms an\nimportant channel of commerce. Each year, traffic is carried over its\nwaters which amount to many hundreds of thousands of dollars. Cities\nhave grown up along its banks; in many ways it has been a wonderful\nblessing. Its silent waters flow on and on through the years, blessing\ngeneration after generation of men.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 78]\n\n\"But, as we turn from the big silent stream and wander through the\nwoods our ears catch the sound of falling waters, and then we come\nsuddenly upon a scene like this. [Draw the second landscape,\ncompleting Fig. 79.] It is a pretty little brook, you say. Yes, it is,\nbut we smile as we compare the noisy little stream with the mighty\nsilent river, and our minds dwell upon the fact that they are but\nreflections of life itself. Just as the little brook makes more noise\nthan the big river, so do many people with small minds cause more\nagitation and trouble in a community than people whose lives are\ngoverned by the principles of charity, kindness and common sense.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 79]\n\n\"Let us watch, therefore, to see that our thoughts as well as our\nwords are such as to add to the happiness of those about us. Calmness\nand carefulness will accomplish this. Let us guard well against the\nill-spoken word, however harmless it may seem.\n\n\"Said one girl to another, 'Don't you think Julia is a splendid girl?'\n\n\"Oh, yes,' responded the other, 'but I have sometimes wondered whether\nor not she is always sincere in what she says.'\n\n\"How easy it is to attach a sting to an innocent remark! Our\nlightly-spoken words may blight the life of an innocent one, for words\nrepeated are like the rolling snowball which grows larger as it is\npushed over the fallen snow. As one dog, howling in the night, causes\nall the other dogs in town to howl, so we may start a needless alarm\nby a single unfair word.\n\n\"Let us praise the good, always, for none--not even ourselves--is\nperfect.\"\n\n\n\nTHE DECEITFULNESS OF SIN\n    --Sin\n    --Allurement\n\nThe Modern Artificial Fishing Bait As an Illustration of\nSeductiveness.\n\nTHE LESSON--That sin gains its victims through the most alluring\ndeception.\n\nThis illustration should prove valuable in presenting to the minds of\nboys of all ages the truth of the seductiveness of sin, as the\ntreatment of the subject brings in a discussion of a sport with which\nall are more or less familiar.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"At the beginning of our talk today, I am going to place on the\ndrawing paper the picture of a fish. [Draw Fig. 80, complete.] It\nlooks like a very large fish, but, as a matter of fact, it is a very\ngreatly enlarged picture of a very little fish. In reality, it is a\nminnow only about three inches long, the kind which the bigger fish\nlike for dessert, and which, therefore, are usually pretty careful\nwhere they go.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 80]\n\n\"Now, I want to see, by having you hold up your hands, just how many\nof you boys like to go fishing? One, two, three--why, nearly all of\nyou. Some, I suppose are fond of still-fishing--that is to fish from\nthe bank or from an anchored boat, and not move around very much. And\nsome like to troll, I suppose--that is to use an artificial bait and\nlet the line drag in the water quite a distance back of the row boat\nas you propel it through the water. And others, perhaps, like to\ncast--that is, to throw the bait away out into the water and then\nbring it in again by winding up the line on the reel. And some, I\nsuppose, like to use other methods of catching fish. But I am going to\nspeak only of the artificial bait which is used by those who troll and\ncast.\n\n\"Nearly always, the fisherman buys his artificial bait from a store\nwhich sells all sorts of artificial minnows and other false bait which\nhave been made by experts. And who are these experts? They are men who\nhave spent years trying to find out the best way to fool the fish into\nbelieving they see their prospective dinner, when in reality they are\ngoing to their death. One kind of bait is the artificial minnow. The\nmanufacturer makes a wooden minnow, shaped like the real minnow, whose\npicture I have drawn; then he paints it in the colors of the live\nminnow, and sometimes he puts on some bright metal which whirls in the\nwater and attracts the attention of the fish. If the deception were to\nstop there, very little harm would be done, but to all this the\nmanufacturer adds a lot of ugly hooks, sometimes as many as\nfifteen. [It is well to draw the lines suggested as the talk proceeds,\nand finish by drawing the hooks at this point, completing Fig. 81.]\nWhen this attractive artificial minnow is made to glide through the\nwater, the fish, seeing nothing of the hooks or else knowing nothing\nof their harmfulness, opens his mouth wide and tries to swallow the\nbait. Immediately, the ugly hooks catch him, and unless he can tear\nloose he is doomed. He is deceived. He finds out his mistake when it\nis too late.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 81]\n\n\"Sometimes, the fisherman uses a spoon hook or other bait in which the\nhooks are hidden beneath some bright-colored feathers or other\nmaterial which looks tempting to the fish. The intended victim dashes\nafter the alluring bait, seeing nothing but the glitter of the bright\nmetal or the brilliancy of the colors. He loses his life as a result.\n\n\"It seems strange--doesn't it--that fish can be fooled in this way?\nAnd yet, I am not sure but that people are just as foolish themselves,\nvery often. Ask the drunkard how he happened to reach the low depths\nto which he has fallen, and he will tell you that when he, as a young\nman, took his first glass, it was in a brilliantly-lighted place\nwhere, it seemed, the air was filled with good fellowship, and he\nthought he was happy. At that very moment, he was pursuing the\nglittering, attractive bait which later proved to be his utter\nruination. _He had not seen the hidden hooks._ Ask the thief,\nconfined in his lonely cell, how he happened to become an outcast, and\nhe may tell you that it started in school when he thought it a very\nhappy thing to cheat in his examinations and thus acquire the habit of\nbeing dishonest. He did not see the hidden hooks which the evil one\nhad placed there to deceive and catch him.\n\n\"Jesus wants all the boys and girls to be watchful of the snares of\nlife and to live so truly that they will easily escape the temptations\nwhich abound everywhere. 'Take heed,' he said, 'Watch ye, therefore,\nand pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these\nthings.'\"\n\n\n\nTHE MASK\n    --Sincerity\n    --Truth\n\nLet Us Ask Ourselves Earnestly if We Are Guilty of Wearing It.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the world honors and respects an honest man, one\nwho does not fear the opinion of those about him.\n\nWe recall the words of Jesus, who, in His Sermon on the Mount, warned\nhis hearers to \"beware of false prophets which come to you in sheeps'\nclothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves,\" and we reflect how\napplicable are the words in modern times. Everywhere, one must beware\nthe snares and deceit of the servants of Satan, who, with pleasing\noutward appearance, entrap their victims. It is a delight and a\nsatisfaction, then, to find real truth and sincerity in the earth, and\nit is to be found if we but look for it.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"It is said that when a thief wants to rob a house, he tries to find\nthe home of an honest man. Why? Because he thinks that the honest man,\nwho never takes advantage of his fellowmen, will be least apt to\nsuspect that anyone will take advantage of _him_.\n\n\"But the same truth holds good when one honest man seeks to deal with\nanother honest man. A true man, when he comes to us with any plan of\nwork or investment may be relied upon to say just what he thinks and\nbelieves. He is dependable. It is a pleasure and a satisfaction, when\nwe are listening to the words of another person, to know that that\nother person is speaking the truth. But not everyone is to be depended\nupon in this way. There is another kind of man who tells you something\nin apparent sincerity, but when he calls upon the next person he may\ntell the story in an entirely different way. Why? Because he believes\nthat the second person will be better pleased with the revised\nversion.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 82]\n\n\"How often do we find an attractive face which gains our entire\nconfidence, a face, pleasant to see and agreeable in every way. [Draw\nface, completing Fig. 82.] And then, how often are we pained and\nshocked and disappointed when something happens which allows us to\nlook into the real character of the person and we find that his real\nself is anything but agreeable and worthy of confidence. [Draw lines\nto complete Fig. 83.] Such a discovery, however, should not cause us\nto lose faith in our brothers. Truth, character, and a splendid degree\nof manhood abound everywhere.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 83]\n\n\"Boys and girls, begin now the formation of habits which will make you\nstrong, honest, worthy men and women. Sometimes you see a man who is\nfiery, cross, ill-tempered and surly. Again you will find one who is\nfawning, over-polite, subservient and altogether wearisome because, in\ntrying to make himself agreeable he becomes a bore and a\nnuisance. Both of these kinds of men have failed to reach the right\ngoal of manhood. We must have backbone, firmness and stamina, but we\nmust be willing to bend sometimes or we are apt to get some pretty\nhard bumps when we hold our heads too high. Remember that you can't\nplease everybody. Sometimes it is best to say 'Yes' when people ask\nyou to do certain things, and sometimes a flat-footed 'No' is the\nthing. Remember that if you agree with everybody who expresses an\nopinion, you have the respect of nobody. Think for yourself, but think\ncarefully. If you choose to grovel at the feet of those about you, you\nmust expect to get stepped on and run over. Above all, cultivate a\nhabit of being so straightforward and above-board that no one will\never doubt your sincerity. Don't wear a mask of sincerity when the\nreal character is less honorable. To do this is to cheat yourself more\nthan anyone else, for the deception is ofttimes but thinly veiled.\n\n\"In his early life, in the year 1844, Lord Beaconsfield, said, in an\naddress before the Literary and Scientific Institution of London: 'A\nman can be what he pleases. Every one of you can be what he desires to\nbe. I have resolved to hold a certain position, and if I live I will.'\nIt is not known to what position Benjamin Disraeli referred, but he\nattained to the highest position possible to any man in England,\nnotwithstanding that his status as a Jew was a strong barrier against\nhis progress. On his deathbed he said, 'Nothing can resist a will\nwhich will stake even existence for its fulfillment.'\n\n\"That is determination. Such determination will make any man what he\nwants to be. It will enable every one of us to reach his highest\nideal. And may that ideal be to shun the dishonest and seek the honest\nlife in its every element.\"\n\n\n\nWASHINGTON'S STRENGTH\n    --Washington's Birthday\n    --Trust\n\nThrough His Great Trials He Remained Steadfast in His Hold on\nGod.\n\nTHE LESSON--That trouble either adds to our spiritual strength or\nelse casts us down, depending on the stability of our character and\nour hold on God.\n\nThis illustration, especially useful on the occasion of the birthday\nof George Washington, on the 22d of February, is adaptable to the\nneeds of the younger boys and girls, but its significance may give\nhope and strength to the older ones as well.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Boys, how many of you ever flew a kite? Well, that's fine! You will\nbe able, then, to answer the question I am going to ask you. Now,\nlisten. If the wind is blowing from the west, which way do you run to\nmake the kite go up? Yes, you run toward the west, right against the\nwind. If you run with the wind, the kite won't go up at all, will it?\n[Draw the kite as in Fig. 84; black outline, red tail.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 84]\n\n\"One might think that when a strong wind blew against the kite, it\nwould be blown away like a piece of loose newspaper; but that isn't\nso. And when a gentle breeze increases to a strong, steady wind, the\nkite goes higher and higher, PROVIDED it is made of good material, and\nPROVIDED, also, that someone holds tightly to the other end of the\nstring. But if the string breaks, down comes the kite! Why? Because\nthe very thing which holds it down is the same thing which holds it\nup!\n\n\"You may never have thought of it, but each of us boys and girls and\neach one of us men and women is a good deal like a kite. When the\nwinds of trouble and worry blow against us they may cause us to rise\nhigher or they may blow us down. Today, I want to tell you how George\nWashington acted when troubles came to him, and if any man in the\nworld's history was loaded down with soul-trying troubles it was 'the\nFather of His Country.' Listen while I read for you a few sentences\nfrom private letters which he wrote during the Revolutionary war. [It\nwill be well to have these and other extracts written so you may read\nthem verbatim.] 'I am wearied almost to death with the retrograde\nmotion of things, and I solemnly protest that a pecuniary reward of\ntwenty thousand pounds a year would not induce me to undergo what I\ndo, and, after all, perhaps, lose my character.' Again: 'Our affairs\nare in a more distressed, ruinous, and deplorable condition than they\nhave been since the commencement of the war,' and he adds that unless\ncongress comes valiantly to his assistance at once the country will\nsink into irretrievable ruin. Again he writes: 'Every idea you can\nform of our distresses will fall short of the reality. I have almost\nceased to hope.' These were dark days, and the winds of adversity were\nbeating mercilessly against the man into whose hands had been placed\nthe cares of the great struggle for national existence. He was like\nthe kite bravely battling against the wind. But he was made of good\nstuff, and there was a strong hand holding the string, for we read\nagain from his letters:\n\n\"'How it will all end, God in his great goodness, will direct. I am\nthankful for His protection to this time. I have a consolation within\nthat no earthly effort can deprive me of, and that is that neither\nambitions nor interested motives have influenced my conduct. The\narrows of malevolence, therefore, however barbed and well pointed, can\nnever reach the most vulnerable part of me; though, while I am set up\nas a mark they will be continually aimed.'\n\n\"His trust was in God, and so shocked was he when he learned that the\nhabit of swearing was growing in the army that he issued a general\norder calling upon officers to set the men a good example, and added,\n'The practice is foolish and wicked--a vice so mean and low, without\ntemptation, that every man of sense and character detests and despises\nit. We can have little hope of the blessing of heaven on our arms if\nwe insult it by our folly and our impiety.'\n\n\"No, George Washington was not the man to give way under severe\ntrials. He was not like the kite whose framework breaks or whose paper\ncovering is torn by the force of the wind. Under these conditions a\nkite must dash to the earth. [Draw the rent in the kite with\nblack. Remove the drawing from the board, invert it, and then\nre-attach it to the board, Fig. 85.] But when the trials came to\nWashington he arose in his might to meet them, knowing that God would\nbe with him.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 85]\n\n\"Let us ever remember that God is our strength, just as he was the\nstrength of George Washington.\"\n\n\n\n\"A MERRY HEART\"\n    --Cheerfulness\n    --Smiles\n\nTo Cultivate the Spirit of Cheerfulness is to Bless and Brighten\nOther Lives.\n\nTHE LESSON--That in no way can we serve those about us better than\nby the kind of service which reveals the true gladness of the\nChristian life.\n\nThe Christian religion is based upon principles which lift us from sin\nand its attendant evils of discouragement, unrest, despondency and\nsuffering, to the higher plane of confidence, hope, praise and love.\nIt is a religion of good cheer, which God's children must reflect to a\ndarkened world if they are to fulfill their earthly mission.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"I wonder how many of us are getting too busy or too lazy to smile. I\nsee some, who were looking pretty solemn before I made the remark\nwhose faces look a little brighter now--and some have already broken\ninto a most gladsome smile. I'm glad of it. Smiles, they say are the\nleast expensive things we can give to other people, and sometimes they\nvalue them more than silver or gold. But how can we smile unless we\nfeel like it? That's the question. Well, we will feel like it if we\nthink right things and do right things, living close to the Master,\neven if things do go very, very much awry sometimes. The Bible has a\ngood many things to say about smiles, and it isn't at all guarded in\ndeclaring that smiles are worth a good deal more than words, unless\nthose words are very carefully spoken. Here is what we find in the\nbook of Proverbs: 'A merry heart maketh a cheery countenance.' So, we\nfind, it is necessary to feel happy within before we can show it on\nthe outside. And then it says: 'He that is of a merry heart hath a\ncontinual feast,' which shows that if we are truly happy, everything\nabout us will appear brighter and more delightful. Again, it says: 'A\nmerry heart doeth good like a medicine.' How true this is; you never\nsaw a sour, gloomy pessimistic person who was in real good health,\nwhile the one who shows the most gladsome face is either in splendid\nphysical condition or else has risen above his pains and distress in\nhis appreciation of God's blessings. They are always believing that\n'it might be worse.\"\n\n\"But is this cheerfulness for the sole benefit of the one who smiles?\nNot a bit of it. We cannot do evil without harming someone; neither\ncan we cultivate cheerfulness without proving a blessing to\nothers. Here, I want to draw for you the picture of a boy who doesn't\nseem to have this happy disposition of which we have been speaking.\n[Draw the lines to complete Fig. 86.] Perhaps he looks this way most\nof the time--it is a bad beginning. We see him here, coming down the\nstreet; perhaps he will meet one of the other boys. Ah, yes, here\ncomes another boy; and this boy has a merry heart, if we are to judge\nfrom his facial expression. [Draw the second boy.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 86]\n\n\"We have no way of knowing what this second boy said to the first boy,\nbut we can tell from his face that he has a merry heart. And what\nabout the first boy? Ah, he, too, has caught it, for his face reflects\nthe smile of the second boy. [Add line to change the facial expression\nof the first boy, completing Fig. 87.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 87]\n\n\"We refer again to the book of Proverbs, and there we find that 'a\nword spoken in due season, how good it is!' It must have been such a\nword that the first boy spoke to the second. 'A word fitly spoken,' we\nread again, 'is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.' But we\nmust choose the right words to go along with the smile, and the\ngreatest danger seems to be that we will say too much, for the same\nbook of Proverbs says that 'he that hath knowledge spareth his words.'\nHe knows how to choose and when to stop. Let us remember that the\nsmile counts for more than mere words. The smile is a universal\nlanguage understood everywhere on earth. It is the badge of\nfriendship, and that is the thing which the world craves.\n\n\"A friend of Haydn, the great composer, once asked him how it happened\nthat his church music was so full of gladness, and Haydn replied, 'I\ncannot make it otherwise. I write according to the thoughts I feel;\nwhen I think upon my God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes\ndance from my pen.'\n\n\"To the one who needs your smile there is nothing else in all the\nworld, perhaps, that will prove so life-giving. Many a despondent one\nhas been thrilled with vital power, lifted, and ennobled by the\nknowledge that another heart beats with it in tenderness and\nsympathy.\"\n\n\n\nWHAT IS BEST?\n    --Success\n    --Work\n\nSuccess Means the Constant Employment of Our Best Faculties in the\nNoblest of Service.\n\nTHE LESSON--That true success does not depend so much upon what you\nget out of this world, as upon what you accomplish for others.\n\nThe magic word, \"Success,\" is before each one of us to inspire us to\nlarger deeds; but let us not forget that many a rich man has made a\ngreat failure of life, while many a poor man has made a great success\nof it. The talk deals with the subject in a commercial way, as an\nillustration of success in the truest sense.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Every one of us desires to be successful. But some of us have one\ndefinition of success while others have an entirely different view.\nMany are sure that the attainment of wealth is the measure of success;\nsome are equally sure that the achievement of political or social\nhonors marks the arrival at the goal of success; and so on. But, no\nmatter how we may have defined success, many of us who have fallen\nshort of our ideals declare in the bitterness of disappointment that\nwe could have reached the top if we had only had the advantages that\nothers enjoyed; if we had been helped at the proper time, or if we\ncould have had enough money or strength.\n\n\"Let us take the example of the young man who occupies a high position\nin the commercial world. We will draw a picture of him seated at his\ndesk. [Draw Fig. 88, complete.] This young man is at the head of an\nimportant department of a great manufacturing concern, and there are\nrumors that he is about to be advanced to a place of greater\nresponsibility. He receives a large salary. It is a part of his duties\nto direct the work of many men in his department. These men come to\nhim for instructions. We will draw one of these men. [Draw man to\ncomplete Fig. 89.] What is passing in the mind of the man who stands\nhere receiving his instructions? This is what he is saying to himself:\n'I cannot understand why this other man, who is no older than I am,\nshould have such a good position, while I must stay in a place of less\nimportance. He must have a pull.' And he goes away with bitterness in\nhis heart.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 88]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 89]\n\n\"The fact is that the man with the lesser position spends his time,\nhis energy and his talent in pursuing the trivial, temporary things,\nthe so-called pleasures of life. He is a time-waster. The successful\none has won his way by concentrating his efforts on learning how best\nto do his work.\n\n\"Do you ever harbor such thoughts about people who have made good in\nthe commercial life? Have you ever, for example, thought that the high\nplace in the world of commerce held by Andrew Carnegie was attained\nthrough some strange chance or luck? If you have, perhaps it might be\nwell to take a glance at the main points of his early life. In\nScotland, his father was a weaver, whose business was destroyed by the\nintroduction of power looms. One day, when the father came home, he\nsaid to his boy, 'Andy, I have no more work!' The lad knew what it\nmeant, and immediately he decided to meet his father's problem to keep\nthe wolf of hunger from the door. He was then but ten years old. It\nwas decided to come to America, and here Andrew Carnegie, at the age\nof eleven, obtained a place in a mill as a bobbin boy, at $1.20 a\nweek. He writes as follows concerning the great lesson he learned at\nthat time: 'I was no longer dependent upon my parents but at last was\nadmitted to the family partnership as a contributing member and able\nto help them. I think that makes a man out of a boy sooner than\nanything else.' At the age of fourteen, he was a stoker in the boiler\nroom of a small factory, and then took employment as a telegraph boy\nat $300 a year. When he advanced to a place of greater responsibility\nas a telegrapher, he made his first investment in the purchase of an\ninterest in an express company. While still engaged in this capacity\nhe met Woodruff, the inventor of the sleeping car, and seeing the\nvalue of the invention he later engaged in its manufacture. From then\nforward, as superintendent of the Pittsburgh division of the\nPennsylvania railroad, in the oil fields and in the steel industry of\nwhich he has long been regarded as the king, his rise has been the\nresult, not of good fortune, but of hard work looking toward a desired\nobject.\n\n\"The story of the success of the lives of Lincoln, of Moody, of\nMozart, of thousands of the world's great men is the story of work and\nhope, of poverty and inspiration.\n\n\"So, in the Christian life, Jesus asks us to cast out of our lives the\npursuit of the vain, transient things and to center our minds and\nhearts upon the truest, the loftiest and the best. Success may mean a\nmost humble place in the world. But the 'pearl of great price' is the\nblessing of peace, of faith, of hope and of love which come to him to\nwhom the Master says, 'Well done.'\"\n\n\n\nMESSAGES to the CHILDREN\n    --Cradle Roll Day\n    --Children\n\nThe Scriptures Are Full of Beautiful Thoughts for Cradle Roll\nDay.\n\nTHE LESSON--That God loves a baby; that both the Father and the\nSon, through their recorded words, constantly express their love of\nthe little ones.\n\nThis somewhat \"unusual\" chalk talk will not fail to accomplish its\nobject in getting the attention of the children and causing them to\nconsider some of the especially beautiful thoughts appropriate to\nCradle Roll Day.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"I want to see the hand of every boy or girl who likes to get a\nletter. Yes, and you like to get pretty post cards, too; don't you?\nAnd the reason you like to get them is that you know, then, that\nsomeone thinks of you and cares for you.\n\n\"Well, then, on this Cradle Roll day, I am sure we would all like to\nget a letter from someone who cares for us, and so, I will first draw\nthe envelope and then see if there is a message in it for us. [Draw\nthe envelope on the paper in black outline and then, with the broad\nside of your crayon give it an even tinting of pink, light blue or\nother dainty color. Then, with your black crayon, address the envelope\nto your own school, by revising the wording as here shown. Add the\nstamp in brown, and the postmark in black, completing Fig. 90.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 90]\n\n\"Well, here is the envelope. Now, I wonder if there is anything in it\nfor us.\n\n[With a sharp pen knife or scissors cut a slit in the paper at the end\nof the envelope as if you were opening it. Thrust in your hand and\nbring forth a sheet of paper like a letter only much larger--folded to\nfit the envelope (Fig. 91). This, of course, is placed there in\nadvance, beneath the outer sheet, attached with thumb tacks so it will\ntear loose readily. The action will arouse much interest.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 91]\n\n\"Well, surely we have something here that looks like a letter or a\nmessage. Ah, yes, it is a message of love to the little ones from the\nSavior Himself, for it was Jesus who spoke these beautiful words:\n\n\"'Suffer the little children to come unto me, for of such is the\nKingdom of Heaven.\"\n\n\"And let us see if there is a message for the little boys and girls of\nthe Sunshine and the primary classes. Ah, yes, here it is; and it is\nfrom the Bible, too (Eccl. 12: 1), and this is what it says:\n\n\"'Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, when, the evil\ndays come not nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say, I have no\npleasure in them.' And this means that if you are faithful to your\nSunday school and will remember the beautiful things you learn here\nand carry them through life with you, you will be more than grateful\nin the years that are to come.\n\n\"I wonder if there is anything here to let these boys and girls know\nwhether God thinks they are worth anything or not. Yes, here is a\nmessage from the Psalms which says: 'Lo, children are an heritage of\nthe Lord. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children\nof the youth. Happy is he whose quiver is full of them!' And so a man\nis rich if he has those about him who call him father, and a mother is\nblessed in the love of her children.\n\n\"Does the message say anything about how the boys and girls should\ntreat their fathers and their mothers? Let us see. Yes, it says:\n'Honor thy father and mother, that thy days may be long in the land\nwhich the Lord thy God giveth thee.' And again it says: 'My son, heed\nthe instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.'\nAnd then, too, it adds this word: 'Children, obey your parents in all\nthings, for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.'\n\n\"And is there a message for us older ones on this Cradle Roll Day? I\nbelieve there is, for I find here this message: 'Except ye become as\nlittle children, ye shall in no wise enter the Kingdom of Heaven.'\n\n\"And is there a message to the parent which sheds any light on the way\nthey should treat their children? Yes, here it is: 'The rod and\nreproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself bringeth his mother\nto shame.' When we are boys and girls we must obey father and mother\nor suffer punishment to keep us in the right pathway.\n\n\"And is there a message to the grandfathers and grandmothers on this\nglad day? I think so, for I find here this message, 'Children's\nchildren are the crown of old men.'\n\n\"Let us remember all of these messages which have come again to us on\nthis glad Cradle Roll Day.\"\n\n\n\nTHE PERFECT LIFE\n    --Thanksgiving Day\n    --Perfection\n\nThe Love of God in Our Hearts May Be Perfect, Even Though Our Lives\nFall Short of Perfection.\n\nTHE LESSON--That if we \"hunger and thirst after righteousness,\" as\ndid the Pilgrim Fathers, our lives, though imperfect, will be well\npleasing to the Father.\n\nMany of us are discouraged because we cannot, or do not, attain to the\nhigh ideal of life which we find before us. God's Word seems to bring\ncomfort to the disappointed one by showing him that if he earnestly\ndesires to attain to the highest ideal, his acts are well pleasing to\nGod, even though he falls short of his hopes. In using the Pilgrim\nFathers as an illustration, the talk is well fitted to the observance\nof Thanksgiving Day, but it is also appropriate for many other\noccasions.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Any one of us who wants to find something beautiful about us, needs\nonly to take a good look. Here, for instance, we may see a tall,\nstraight tree. [Draw the tree, of Fig. 92.] And over here, nearer by,\nwe may find a rosebush in bloom. [Draw the bush and rose.] And here is\nthe sun shining in all its glory. [Draw the sun, using orange. Any\nsuitable color may be used for the rose. The trunk of the tree should\nbe in brown and the foliage in green. Draw the distant foliage,\ncompleting Fig. 92.] And as we look upon these things we may think of\nthem as perfect in every way, because they are all God's handiwork.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 92]\n\n\"And yet--\n\n\"Let us take a closer look. We find that when the tree is cut down for\nlumber it is marred by many imperfections, and that a great deal of it\nhas to be thrown away as useless. Somehow, we are a little bit\ndisappointed in the tree, for we thought it was perfect. As we turn to\nthe rose, we are reminded by a sharp pain in our fingers as we examine\nit, that the stems are covered with ugly thorns. [Add the thorns.] And\nthen we notice, too, that many of the leaves on the bush are deformed\nand unshapely. As we turn to look upon the sun, we are dazzled by its\nbrilliance, at first, and then we discover that even this brightness\nis clouded by spots which seem to make it imperfect. Then too, as we\nlook away from it, we find that the sun, in its passage through the\nsky not only brightens many a dark corner, but it casts many a deep,\ngloomy shadow as well. [Draw the shadow of the tree, completing\nFig. 93.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 93]\n\n\"Well, now, wouldn't it be foolish for us to go about finding flaws in\nGod's creatures, like this? Ah, yes. But it is just this way that some\nof us study our own lives. Just because we don't find perfection\nthere, we are disheartened and discouraged, forgetting that God's Word\nis the authority for the assertion, that 'there is not a righteous man\nupon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.' But we must not forget\nthat other assertion which is equally true, namely, that they are\nblessed 'who hunger and thirst after righteousness,' and nothing short\nof this desire for godliness is pleasing to the Father.\n\n\"We have before us the inspiring, the ennobling example of the Pilgrim\nFathers, who, denied the right to worship God after their own manner\nin their home across the seas, made the perilous journey to the new\nworld to establish here the beginning of a mighty church and a mighty\npattern for all who were to come after them. They were men and women\nwho hungered and thirsted after righteousness. But were they perfect?\nNo. It would be impossible to find, in the world's history a life in\nwhich some imperfection did not lurk? Should the discovery of faults\nand imperfections in ourselves or in others discourage us from trying\nto follow in the footsteps of the Perfect One? Surely not. We should\nsee in the shortcomings of others an inspiration to live our own lives\nmore closely to the measure which we know to be right and true. The\nknowledge of our own faults and imperfections should make us more\nsympathetic, more helpful to others and induce a spirit of comradeship\nwith those who need a strengthening band on the pathway of life.\n\n\"We know, too, where to take these faults and imperfections of\nours. How often has He answered the prayer, 'Create in me a clean\nheart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.' To become wearied,\nto lie idle and despair because we have not attained to the ideal is\nto commit a grievous error. Get busy! In true work for Him is the\nsurest cure for the trouble. Faulty? Yes. But let us not forget the\ntruth in Dr. Van Dyke's words, 'the best rosebush, after all, is not\nthat which has the fewest thorns but that which has the finest roses.\"\n\n\"Let us not lose heart because of our shortcomings, but give thanks\nthat we may attain to the highest if we but do His will.\"\n\n\n\nBRING FORTH FRUIT\n    --Children's Day\n    --Fruitfulness\n\nA Children's Day Thought for the Entire School--The Live\nBranch.\n\nTHE LESSON--That as the fruit tree fulfills its mission only when\nsurrounded by proper conditions, so, also, must the child be provided\nwith the conditions which will help him to bring forth fruit in the\nChristian life.\n\nThe illustration here given possesses the unusual qualities of\nentertainment for the very littlest children of the school, of\nenlightment for the juniors and intermediates and of personal appeal\nto the seniors and adults--especially those visitors who may be\nattracted on the occasion of Children's Day. The use of the colored\nchalk makes the picture especially attractive.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n[Before beginning the talk, draw the bare limb in brown.] \"What is\nthis? A dead branch, did you say? Perhaps. Perhaps not. We are\nsupposed to be looking at it in the winter time, and, of course, it\nisn't real easy at first to tell whether it is dead or merely\nsleeping; but if we examine it closely we can tell, because the\nleaf-buds are formed in the autumn, and if the limb is alive we shall\nfind the little leaf-buds there. [Examine the branch.] Yes, the branch\nis alive, for the little leaf-buds are clustered everywhere, waiting\nto burst forth into full-grown leaves. [As you speak, touch the limb\nhere and there with green and then draw the clusters of full-grown\nleaves.] And here, too, I find some little pink buds, and a little\nlater they open into pretty flowers, for this is the limb of an apple\ntree. [Add the flowers, completing Fig. 94.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 94]\n\n\"And then, as time goes on, we witness another interesting change,\nbecause God intends that the tree shall do more than bear leaves and\nflowers. We find that the pretty pink flowers which have filled the\nair with their fragrance and gladdened our eyes with their beauty have\ngone away, and in their places have come little green apples. [With\ngreen chalk draw the green apples just large enough to cover the\nblossoms.] Green apples are good things--to leave alone, so we will\nnot pick them. We will watch and see them change into something else.\n[With red chalk draw the large ripe apples, covering up the green\nsurface. This completes Fig. 95. If the green doesn't disappear\nentirely, it doesn't matter. It is well, however, in drawing the green\napples, to use as little of the color as possible.] And now we have\nthe ripened fruit of the apple tree.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 95]\n\n\"This part of the story is for the little boys and girls. But we must\nsay a word also to the boys and girls of the junior and intermediate\nclasses. It is this: That the branch of the apple tree, in bringing\nforth in its time the leaf-buds, the leaves, the blossoms, the green\napples and the ripened fruit, has done nothing excepting that which\nGod planned that it should do. He asks of it no more and no less.\nThat is its duty. The lesson for us is this: He expects us to do our\nfull duty, just as the branch of the apple tree has done. He asks that\nwe bring forth the fruits of service, of sacrifice, of cheerfulness,\nof kindness, of love and of humility. He has surrounded us with the\nthings which make it easy to do this. Let us find out the best way for\nus to do it and enjoy real living as we bring forth fruit for Him.\n\n\"And I would also add a word to the seniors and the adults of our\nschool, as well as to the visitors of the day. We all know that the\nbranch cannot bring forth its fruit unless it be a part of the tree.\nChrist has said, 'I am the vine,' and unless we get the children,\nattached to this true vine, their lives cannot bear Christian\nfruit. He is our support and our life. Just as the branch must have\nthe sunlight and the warmth for its development, so must each one of\nthese children have His love and our love and our help to live\nChristian lives.\n\n\"It was the Master who said, 'Herein is my father glorified, that ye\nbring forth much fruit' In helping these little ones we are ourselves\nbringing forth fruit. I believe that in this service, side by side\nwith these children in the Sunday school, we shall find our Christian\nexperiences enlarged and blessed. Let us pray, then, that each of\nthese precious lives may be 'like a tree planted by the streams of\nwater, that bringeth forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf doth\nnot wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.'\"\n\n\n\n\"YOUNG MEN, AHOY\"\n    --Temperance Day\n    --Dissipation\n\nJohn B. Gough's Thrilling Word Picture a Remarkable Temperance\nLesson.\n\nTHE LESSON--That we dare not trifle with the devil's poison.\n\nThe world has known no greater foe to intemperance than John\nB. Gough. No words of this great leader have left a more lasting\nimpression than those which he used in his striking picture of the\nyoung men drifting in a boat on the Niagara river. Happily, it adapts\nitself to the requirements of a chalk talk.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"The great temperance leader, John B. Gough, devoted the best years of\nhis life to an earnest endeavor to save hoys from the evil of strong\ndrink, of which he knew so much through long, bitter experience.\nFamiliar to all of us, perhaps, is the thrilling word picture of the\nyoung men who launched their rowboat upon the quiet, smooth waters of\nthe broad Niagara river a few miles above the mighty cataract. [Draw\nthe boat and the young men, completing Fig. 96. It might be well to\nprepare this first scene in advance.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 96]\n\n\"'Now,' says Mr. Gough, as he enters into the narrative, 'launch your\nbark upon the Niagara river. It is bright and smooth and still; there\nis a ripple at the bow; the silvery wake you leave behind you adds to\nyour enjoyment. Down the stream you glide; you have your oars, and you\nthink you are prepared for every emergency--and thus you go on your\npleasure excursion, thinking naught of dangers ahead. Some one cries\nfrom the bank! Hark!\n\n\"'Young men, ahoy!'\n\n\"'What is it?' you ask.\n\n\"'The rapids are below you!'\n\n\"'Ha, ha! We have heard of the rapids below us,' you laugh, 'but we\nare not such fools as to get into them. When we find we are going too\nfast, we will pull for the shore.'\n\n\"'_Young men, ahoy_!'\n\n\"'What is it?\n\n\"'The rapids are below you!'\n\n\"'Ha, ha! We will laugh and quaff; all things delight us; what care we\nfor the future? No man ever saw it. \"Sufficient unto the day is the\nevil thereof.\" We will enjoy life while we may, and catch pleasure as\nit flies. This is the time for enjoyment. It is time enough to steer\nout of danger when we find we are going too swiftly with the stream.'\n\n\"'YOUNG MEN, AHOY!'\n\n\"'What is it?'\n\n\"'The rapids are below you! Now see the water foaming all around you!\nSee how fast you go! _Quick_! QUICK! Pull for your very lives!\nPull till the blood starts from your nostrils and the veins stand like\nwhipcords on your brow!'\n\n[At this point, quickly detach the drawing from the board, turn it\none-fourth around and re-attach with thumb tacks; then, add the lines\nto complete Fig. 97.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 97]\n\n\"'Ah, it is too late! Shrieking, cursing, blaspheming, over the falls\nyou go!--and thousands thus go over every year by the power of evil\nhabits, declaring, \"When I find it is hurting me, I will quit.\" But\nthese latter do not go by the water way, but by the whiskey way, which\nis a thousand times worse! No man today fills a drunkard's grave who\ndid not once think he could quit--but he found, too late, that he\ncouldn't.'\n\n\"'Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived\nthereby is not wise,' says Solomon, and he might have made it ten\ntimes as strong and still kept within the truth. Everywhere, and at\nall times, when a young man starts to do evil, he hears plainly and\nclearly the cry, 'Young man, ahoy! The rapids are below you!' It is\nthe voice of conscience, his true and faithful servant. But,\nunfortunately, as the voice is unheeded and bad habits grow stronger,\nconscience grows weaker, and, after a while, it cannot serve us at\nall, for Satan has taken possession of it. The evil one can do as much\nmischief with a man's conscience as he can with his heart. He can\n'sear it with a hot iron.' (I Tim. 4: 2.) He can 'defile' it. (Titus\n1: 15.) He can kill it. (Eph. 4: 17-19.) And how can a seared,\ndefiled, dead conscience help him to shun temptation and sin? Many a\nman, honest in his dealings with those about him, is dishonest with\nhimself when he begins to allow bad habits to rule his life and to\nallow Satan to defile and kill the conscience which has been provided\nto guide him in caring for his own body--the earthly temple given to\nhim by God as the earthly abiding place of his immortal soul.\"\n\n\n\nVALUELESS THINGS\n    --Boys' Day\n    --Ability\n\nThey May Not Remain So if We Give Them Proper Attention--A Thought\nfor Boys' Day.\n\nTHE LESSON--That our seemingly useless, or even harmful, traits may\nprove to be our most valuable talents.\n\nThis little fragment of industrial history should impress a lesson\nupon all young people, though it is especially adapted to Boys' Day.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"During the period extending from the time that people first settled\nin America up to the time of the civil war those who chose to live in\nsome portions of the area which are now the states of Pennsylvania,\nOhio and West Virginia selected their land with great care. In some\nparts of the land they found a disagreeable kind of oil in the ground\nwhich oozed from the rocks below. When a man bought a piece of ground\nhe was very careful to find out for sure that there was none of this\noil about the place, and if he did find any of it, it is probable that\nhe made this fact known: [Draw the signboard and the letters, Fig. 98,\ncomplete.] To him the ground was worthless.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 98]\n\n\"It may be that some of the people knew that this oil was the same\nkind that the ancient Jews used in the preparation of their cement for\nbuilding purposes, and that it was the same that the more ancient\nEgyptians used in the preservation of the mummified bodies of their\ndead; but, as the Americans did not need oil for such purposes, they\nconsidered the oil a nuisance. At one time, while a man was drilling\nfor water, he struck such a strong artesian well of oil that it gushed\nout all over the ground; then it ran down to a river and caught fire\nas it spread out over the swiftly flowing water. The flames spread\ndown the river and it looked for all the world as if the river was\nburning up!\n\n\"They called this oil petroleum--rock-oil.\n\n\"One day, in 1859, after there had been a good deal of talk as to\nwhether or not this oil was good for anything, Col. E.L. Drake hired\nsome men to drill a well at Titusville, Pennsylvania. The drillers at\nfirst refused to work for a man who was so foolish as to spend his\nmoney in this way, but, finally, they set at work on the job under the\nbelief that they were really drilling for salt! But the oil began to\nflow, and some men soon learned how to make kerosene out of it. This\ntook the place of tallow candles, and from that moment the world has\nbeen much brighter. The men kept right on with their experiments,\nuntil now we have not only kerosene, but gasoline, benzine, rhigoline,\nnaphtha, mineral sperm oil, lubricating oils, paraffins wax, carbon\noil and a variety of medicinal products--all made from this\nonce-useless petroleum. These discoveries have brought also the\ngasoline and oil stoves, gasoline and gas engines and the automobile.\nProm the industry has grown the Standard Oil company, one of the\nrichest and most powerful commercial enterprises in the world. So now,\nin these eastern states, it is vastly different from what it used to\nbe when a man discovered oil on his land. If he finds oil now, and if\nbe puts up a sign at all, it is apt to read like this: [Revise Fig. 98\nto Complete Fig. 99.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 99]\n\n\"From this little fact of industrial history I want to draw a lesson,\nespecially for the boys, today. Perhaps we cannot own any stock in the\nStandard Oil company, but we have something just as good, and\nbetter. Perhaps we have found in ourselves what we think is a useless\ntalent--useless unless we refine it and cultivate it. One day some\npeople living on a certain street in New York raised a big row because\na small, ragged street boy drew pictures all over their sidewalks with\nchalk. To them, he was nothing but a nuisance. However, a prominent\nman came walking by one day. He looked at the chalk drawings and knew\nat once that the boy had real artistic talent. He became interested,\ngave the boy an education and now he is one of America's celebrated\npainters.\n\n\"Study yourselves, boys. Do you love music? If you do, and if you have\nthe talent to become a musician, don't throw away your talent by using\nyour ability for any low purpose. Make music, like Haydn, who praised\nGod through every note!\n\n\"Do you like to draw? If you are to be an artist, do not use your\ntalent for low purposes. Let your work be of a kind to reflect credit\nupon you--work which will make other people better for having seen it\nand for having been influenced by it.\n\n\"Do you like to speak? Do you plan to study medicine, or law, or to be\na teacher? Whatever your plans may be, based on what you believe your\nbest talent to be, do not let your talent go to waste like this oil\ndid for so many years. Treasure it up, refine it, and in whatever\ndirection God may lead you, you may be sure that you will have ample\nopportunity to let your talent bring greater brightness into the\nworld. And then you, too, would not part with your possession for any\nprice!\"\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF A HAT\n    --Politeness\n    --The Common People\n\nA thought for the Thoughtless Who Have But Little Politeness and\nRespect for the Common People.\n\nTHE LESSON--That every one who truly fills his high or lowly place\nIn the world is deserving of respect and honor.\n\nThis story contains a splendid lesson for all of us. There is much in\nit to start the boys and girls to thinking of the worthiness of doing\nthe humble things in life, and of the respect due those whose place\nmay be more lowly than theirs. True worth is the measure of our value\nin the world, whether our work be great or little.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"This morning I am going to tell you 'The Story of a Hat,'--and this\nis the hat. [Draw only the hat, A, completing Fig. 100. This is the\nsame drawing as that of the lower right-hand corner of Fig. 101,\nbefore the face is added.] I don't wonder that you smile. It's a\nseedy-looking old hat, isn't it? It looks as if it ought to be burned\nup or else dumped in the ash barrel; but, before we do that, let us\nhear the story.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 100]\n\n\"Once upon a time Mr. Brown, a college president, was passing a\nclothing store when he saw, displayed in the window, a hat like this.\n[Draw only the hat as in B.] Mr. Brown went into the store and tried\non the hat. It fitted him, and when he came out he looked like this in\nhis new four-dollar hat. [Add the head of Mr. Brown, completing B.]\nEverybody respected the college president and was polite to him.\nAfter a while Mr. Brown's wife told him that his hat was getting just\na little bit shabby--perhaps just a little bit out of style, too. And\nso the college president gave the hat away to a poor but respectable\npreacher, Mr. Green, and this is the way Mr. Green looked in the hat.\n[Draw C complete.] Mr. Green was not a 'D.D.,' by any means, but he\nwas a good man who was made to suit and fit a certain class of people\nwho could not have understood the big words of a 'D. D.' Well,\nMr. Green wore the hat for a while, and then he gave it to the janitor\nof his church, a man named Mr. Blue. The janitor wore it for a while,\nuntil it looked about like this: [Draw D, complete.] You will notice\nthat it was somewhat indented by this time, but it was all right for\nMr. Blue and he was glad to get it. There was a man in the town by the\nname of Mr. White, who had a job cleaning the streets. He was a friend\nof Mr. Blue, and the janitor gave him the hat. This is the way\nMr. White looked in it: [Draw the face under the hat, A; this\ncompletes Fig. 101.] Mr. White had a little cart and a big shovel and\nan old broom, and he worked all day sweeping up and carting off the\nold paper, the stubs of cigars and everything else which, if allowed\nto accumulate, would soon make the streets look disgraceful and the\ntown unhealthful.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 101]\n\n\"And so, we see, this poor old hat had done good service for four\ndifferent kinds of men. Remember this--that every man who wore the hat\nwas a useful man in his place. Each one was a necessary man. We must\nhave him. Especially is this true of the man who kept the streets\nclean, for he, just like the man who collects and takes away the\ngarbage, helps to keep away the scourge of typhoid fever, and cholera\nand other dread diseases, by being willing to do the dirty work and to\nwear the old hat. Why, just suppose everybody was a college\npresident. Who would wash our clothes? Who would scrub our floors? Who\nwould clean our streets? Who would cart away our garbage?\n\n\"Now, don't you see that the street cleaner and the 'garbage\ngentleman' are far more useful than any wealthy man's son who doesn't\ndo a lick of work, who rides around in an automobile at his father's\nexpense and who spends his time at night in wasteful or sinful ways so\nthat he gets to bed at one or two o'clock in the morning and sleeps\nuntil nine or ten o'clock the next day? Why, bless your soul, the\nstreet cleaner and the 'garbage gentleman' are worth a dozen\ngood-for-nothings like that!\n\n\"Then why look down upon the poor man--the laboring man? Why not be\njust as polite and respectful to him as to the college president? God\nmade them both, and each is filling his place in life. Each man whose\npicture we have drawn belonged to a different class of people, just as\nGod designed they should, and each, if he did his duty in life, had\njust as important a place in the community as the other.\n\n\"Abraham Lincoln said that 'God must think more of the common people\nthan He did of any other kind, because He made so many more of them.'\n\n\"Surely, all this is reason enough for the best of us to be kind and\nconsiderate, respectful and polite toward people whose hats would not\nsuit us at all!\"\n\n\n\nOUR COUNTRY'S FLAG\n    --Flag Day\n    --Patriotism\n\nA Little of its History and of its Meaning--Some Interesting\nFacts.\n\nTHE LESSON--That loyalty to the flag means the fulfillment of duty\nto God and to our fellowmen.~~\n\n\"Flag Day\" suggests a patriotic demonstration, and this talk will\nharmonize well with your decorations and the other features of your\nprogram. The talk calls for the drawing of four flags. It is suggested\nthat you prepare in advance of the talk all four flags of Fig. 102, as\nthe drawing may require more time than you can spare during the talk.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"We have about us today some of the flags of the United States of the\npresent time. I believe you will be interested, though, in seeing some\nof the flags of our country of earlier days. I will present them to\nyou.\n\n\"Before the Revolutionary war was begun, and at the time of the\nbeginning of the trouble, some of the colonies had flags of their own,\nand some of them were very curious indeed. However, when General\nGeorge Washington took command of the troops at the beginning of the\nwar it was decided to adopt one flag for all the united colonies, and\nso a committee was chosen and a flag like this was designed: [Indicate\nflag \"a.\"] These two crosses represented the crosses of St. George\nand St. Andrew, and the thirteen stripes represented the thirteen\ncolonies. You see, they patterned the crosses after the British flag,\nbecause there was no certainty at that time that the colonists would\nbreak away from England. This is the flag that was raised over the\ncamp of Washington at Cambridge, January 2, 1776.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 102]\n\n\"But in 1777, after the colonies had proclaimed the Declaration of\nIndependence, congress ordered that the flag of the thirteen United\nStates be composed of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, and\nthat thirteen white stars in a field of blue be substituted for the\ncrosses. It was also decided to add one star and one stripe as each\nnew state was admitted. Congress, then in session in Philadelphia,\nnamed George Washington, Robert Morris and Colonel Ross to call upon a\nwidow who had been making flags for the government and ask her to make\nthis first real American flag. And this is the flag that Betsy Ross\nmade: [Indicate flag \"b.\"] It is said that Betsy Ross suggested that\nthe stars be five-pointed, as she could fold her cloth so as to make a\nfive-pointed star with one clip of her scissors. Can you make a\nfive-pointed star with one clip? Betsy could! [Note: The writer has\nseen the simple process described in a sketch of Betsy Ross; it is too\nlong for repetition here, but a demonstration of the method would be\nan interesting innovation.]\n\n\"Well, this flag was carried throughout the remainder of the\nRevolution, and it was present at the surrender of Burgoyne and the\nfall of Yorktown. But when Vermont and Kentucky were admitted as\nstates, the flag was changed, so there were fifteen stars and fifteen\nstripes, like this: [Indicate flag \"c.\"]\n\n\"This flag waved throughout the war of 1812. It was this flag that\nFrancis Scott Key saw 'through the dawn's early light,' and which\ninspired him to write 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'\n\n\"It was not until 1818 that congress saw that a mistake had been made\nand that it would be necessary to confine the number of stripes to the\noriginal number, thirteen, though we have continued to add a star for\neach new state. This is the flag of today: [Indicate flag \"d.\"]\n\n\"As we look upon this flag, our hearts grow warm with love for our\ncountry. We honor it and the memory of those who brought it into being\nand who died to preserve it for us. I know of no better closing\npicture than this, which indicates the true spirit of the patriots who\ndied beneath its folds upon the fields of battle--a picture which\nspeaks to us of Him who said, 'Greater love hath no man than this,\nthat he lay down his life for his friends.' [With heavy black put in\nthe outline of the cross; fill in with orange, completing Fig. 103.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 103]\n\n\"Boys and girls, what does the flag stand for? _Loyalty to\ncountry_. What does the cross stand for? _Loyalty to Christ_.\nWhich is the more important? You are not asked to answer--only to\n_think_. Being loyal to Christ makes people truly loyal to\ncountry; but, alas, there are many who profane His name while they\npretend to be loyal to their country. It cannot be done.\"\n\n\n\nTHE LITTLE ONES\n    --Cradle Roll Day\n    --Teaching\n\nA Word of Appreciation to the Parents on the Occasion of Cradle\nRoll Day.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the proper early home training of children for\nChrist will save future heartaches and anguish.\n\nIt is well to make of Cradle Roll Day an occasion of profit and\ninspiration to the parents of the little ones. Perhaps you don't get a\nchance to speak to them very often. Your words to them on this\noccasion, when a day has been set aside for the special consideration\nof the children in whom their hearts and hopes are centered, will best\nserve their purpose if they are directed to make the parents feel sure\nthat you, also, are deeply interested in their little ones.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"We are delighted today to see so many of our little Cradle Roll boys\nand girls--and we are just as pleased to look into the faces of their\nfathers and mothers. Why? Well, just because we want these parents to\nknow that we love their children and that we are grateful to them for\ncoming with them today to observe this happy time together.\n\n\"We want these fathers and mothers to know that while we are trying to\nteach the way of unselfishness and love to these older boys and girls,\nand while we are waiting for the time to come when these little\nvisitors of today will be old enough to be with us regularly, we are\nconvinced that the home training for seven days in the week is higher\nand more lasting than an hour of teaching in the Sunday school under\nthe best of teachers. So it is with joy that we know that these\nparents are beginning with the babyhood of their children to tell them\nof Him who blessed the little ones and said, 'of such is the kingdom\nof heaven.' We are glad we may look forward to the time when we, in\nthe Sunday school, may also have a part in this training.\n\n\"Let us hear a little story this morning: Once upon a time a young\nlad, while idly spending his time in a grove surrounding his eastern\nhome, carved with his knife in the bark of a young birch tree three\nwords which his mother had taught him to say. [As you continue the\nnarrative, draw the small tree and merely indicate the words and the\nheart next referred to, completing Fig. 104.] The first word had three\nletters, the second had two letters and the third four letters. And\naround them he drew a little heart, as his mother had taught him to\ndo. And when he had finished it, he ran away to his play and forgot\nall about it.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 104]\n\n\"Years afterward, when he had grown to young manhood, he returned to\nthe home which he had not seen for a long time. As he went once more\nto the grove, he came upon a birch tree and stopped to look at some\nwords carved upon its bark, with a heart drawn about them. Memory\ncarried him back to the days of his childhood--it was the same tree,\ngrown big and strong, and with it the heart had grown large and the\nwords were there strong and plain. They could not be removed without\ngreatly marring the tree. Here are the heart and the words: [Add lines\nto revise Fig. 104 to Fig. 105.] As he looked upon the words, they\nthrilled him with tender emotions as he remembered that it was his\nmother who had taught him this beautiful sentiment. 'If I had written\nthere an unkind word,' he reflected, 'that, too, would have been as\npermanent and lasting.'\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 105]\n\n\"And now for the application: We are told that some fathers and\nmothers, through a false idea of what is of lasting good to their\nchildren, permit them, in their inexperience, to learn to do things in\na way which will mean sorrow and anguish in the end. Of course, I\nunderstand that this could not ever happen to any of these fathers and\nmothers and these children! The application is for those who aren't\nhere! If the boy rebels against school, he will bless, in later years,\nthe hand which made his attendance compulsory. If he can see no harm\nin the use of unkind or offensive words, but is compelled by a loving\nparent to turn his mind and his speech to lofty things, he will later\nbless that one who saved him from his error. If, in the years when he\nhas grown through babyhood and childhood to youth, a strong, but\ngentle, hand bars for him the way which leads to evil companions and\nbad habits, he will praise and bless that restraining hand when the\nyears of discretion show him how close was his step to the brink of a\nfatal precipice.\n\n\"With the same hand which bars the way to wrong must the parent write\nthe words, 'God is Love,' on the heart of each little one. The clear,\npure truth cannot be told too often. In after years, as memory brings\nthese children back to your loving arms, back to their little downy\nbeds, they will be comforted with the realization that the words have\nbecome so deep-seated that nothing can eradicate them, even after\ndeath has closed their eyelids.\n\n\"Some one has described the eyes of a child as 'clear wells of\nundefiled thought,' and God forbid that as their eyes are lifted to\nours, full of innocence and confidence, we should give them anything\nbut the purest, most helpful truth as Christ reveals it to us. We\npledge ourselves earnestly to do this.\"\n\n\n\nTHE BURNED BOOK\n    --Patience\n    --Adversity\n\nHow Thomas Carlyle's Work of Many Years Was Destroyed in a Few\nSeconds.\n\nTHE LESSON--That there is such a thing as success through patience,\nand that the Christian should so live that he may rejoice in his\ntribulations.\n\nOne of the crying needs of every-day life is the cultivation of\npatience. Modern life, with its hustle and bustle, and the\never-present contest for supremacy in its commercial and social\nphases, displays a growing unrest and nervousness. Patience is a rare\nquality which should be treasured and nurtured.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Paul once wrote a letter to the church at Rome in which he said, 'We\nglory in tribulations, also, knowing that tribulation worketh\npatience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope\nmaketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our\nhearts.\"\n\n\"But we're not all like Paul. If we had been saying it, we might have\nput it this way: 'We despair that we have tribulation, knowing that\ntribulations work impatience, and impatience discouragement, and\ndiscouragement makes us feel sure that God doesn't care for us.'\nNevertheless, just the opposite is true, for we know that 'whom the\nLord loveth He chasteneth.'\n\n\"Everybody has trouble. It comes to all of us in many forms. Ofttimes\nit is a blessing in disguise. If it were not so, we would not find so\nmany of God's people afflicted in the ways which the Scriptures\ndescribe. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph and all of the great\nleaders of the New Testament, as well as of the Old, had their deep\ntroubles and sorrows. And it is so today with God's people.\n\n\"Patience is a virtue of which the poets sing. 'How poor are they,'\nsays Shakespeare, 'that have not patience! What wound did ever heal\nbut by degrees?' And Milton said:\n\n      \"'Patience is more oft the exercise\n        Of saints, the trial of their fortitude.'\n\n\"So, let us try always to understand, in the midst of seeming great\ntrouble, that sorrow and trial have their place in our lives. Whether\nthey are for good or for bad depends largely upon ourselves.\n\n\"I want to tell you the tragedy of a book--a great book. We all know\nof Thomas Carlyle's great work, 'The French Revolution.' Of this\nwonderful production it has been said that 'It is a history of the\nFrench Revolution and the poetry of it, both in one; and, on the\nwhole, no work of greater genius, either historical or poetical, has\nbeen produced in England.' I wonder if we have all heard of the\ntragedy of this great book and the sorrow which came to its author?\n\n\"One day, after Mr. Carlyle had finished the manuscript of the first\nvolume of the work, completing the labors of months and years, and\nwhen he felt at last the relief which had tied his hands and his mind\nthrough this long period, he loaned the work to his close friend, John\nStuart Mill. Before Mr. Mill had finished reading the manuscript, and\nas it lay scattered about his study, his servant girl, thinking the\npages were nothing but waste paper, gathered them up and stuffed them\ninto her kitchen fire! Thus was the labor of weary, toilsome years\ndestroyed in a few moments. On his discovering the awful state of\naffairs, it was Mr. Mill's duty to go to Mr. Carlyle's home and break\nthe news to him. Mr. Carlyle tells of the interview in these words:\n'How well do I remember that night when he came to tell Mrs. Carlyle\nand me, pale as Hector's ghost, that my unfortunate first volume was\nburned. It was like a half sentence of death to both of us. We had to\npretend to take it lightly, so dismal and ghastly was its horror!'\n\n\"If the description of the scene were to end here, I am sure that some\nof us would see only the darkest, gloomiest side. Let us make a sketch\nto illustrate this condition. [Draw Fig. 106 complete.] But the\ndescription does not stop here. Carlyle goes on to tell how, with the\nsympathy of his wife, he began anew the great task, and, although it\nwas, as he says, a 'job' that nearly broke his heart, the result was a\nwork superior in every way to his original effort, and he lived to\nrejoice in what he once considered to be a disastrous misfortune. He\nreceived ample reward for his overmastering patience!\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 106]\n\n\"'If thou faint in the day of adversity,' says the Psalmist, 'thy\nstrength is small.' Remember this: _Every shadow has a light behind\nit!_ It is toward that light that the discouraged one must turn his\nface. Look up, not down! [Add lines to complete Fig. 107; the hair\ncovers the face of Fig. 106.] No man ever saw the highest success who\n'looked down his nose' when trial came. Look up--like the man in the\npicture!\"\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 107]\n\n\n\nTHE MAN WHO FINALLY HEARD\n    --Kind Words\n    --The Tongue\n\nThe Restoration of His Hearing Brought to Him Pain as Well as\nPleasure.\n\nTHE LESSON--That we should guard well our tongues against speaking\ncareless, useless or vulgar words.\n\nThis illustration is based on the actual experience of an Indiana\nman. It contains a lesson of such great importance that a chapter of\none of the strongest moral epistles of the New Testament is devoted to\nit. The speaker would do well to study carefully the third chapter of\nthe Epistle of James as a foundation for the preparation of the talk.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n[Before beginning the talk, draw the picture of the man, completing\nFig. 108.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 108]\n\n\"The face I have here drawn represents the portrait of a certain\nbusiness man living in an Indiana town. Ever since the time of an\nillness in childhood this man had been almost totally deaf. For years\nhe tried in vain to secure the aid which would restore to him his\nhearing, and during all the period of his boyhood and young manhood he\ncould hear only those words which were spoken very distinctly, close\nto his ear. Sometimes he could hear the thunder and other loud, sharp\nsounds.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 109]\n\n\"Then, one day, came a great change! All at once he could hear almost\nperfectly. What a great time it was! Once more he heard the songs of\nthe birds as he remembered them when he was a child; the voices of the\nmembers of his family and the voices of his friends, new and strange,\ncame to him! What had brought the change? It was merely a new\ninvention, by which a disc containing a diaphragm was placed over his\near. This diaphragm gathered the sound waves, just as the natural\near-drum was intended to do. The disc fitted over his ear, like this:\n[Add the disc and attachment, as in Fig. 109.] Was he happy? Of\ncourse he was--but soon it was noticed by those about him that his\ngladness seemed to fade away from his face and a kind of sadness took\nits place. [Add the lines about eye and mouth, completing Fig. 109.]\nWhat was the matter? Some one asked him the question. And this was his\nanswer--listen to it: 'I never knew, during those years when I could\nnot hear the sound of people's voices, that those about me were so\nunkind to each other!'\n\n\"'Unkind?'\n\n\"'Yes,' said he; 'ever since my hearing was restored I have been\nsurprised and pained and shocked to hear the careless words--the\nharmful words--which people speak concerning even those they love. I\nhave thought about it a good deal and have made up my mind that the\npeople do not speak these words because they always mean what they\nsay, but because they have grown into the habit of saying unkind\nthings. And the profanity! And the vulgarity! It is dreadful to listen\nto the language used by many men, and even boys, in their ordinary\nconversation!'\n\n\"The man had spoken a sad, sad truth. How careless we are! Even the\nbest of us speak too many thoughtless, unkind words--words which may\naffect the entire after life of the one who is the subject of their\nutterance. And how many there are all about us who blaspheme the name\nof their Maker!\n\n\"All of us are familiar with the words of Shakespeare, who, in\n'Othello,' causes Iago to say that 'he that filches from me my good\nname robs me of that which not enriches him and makes me poor,\nindeed.' Our slighting word may rob some one of his good name and\nleave him poor, indeed; while the kind word which rises to our lips,\nbut remains unspoken, may retard the progress of the person of whom we\nmight have spoken it.\n\n\"'Be not rash with thy mouth,' says the writer of Ecclesiastes; 'let\nthy words be few.'\n\n\"'Behold also the ships,' says the Epistle of James, 'which, though\nthey be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned\nabout with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even\nso the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold\nhow great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a\nworld of iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, that it\ndefileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and\nit is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts and of birds and\nof serpents and of things in the sea is tamed, and hath been tamed of\nmankind; but the tongue can no man tame.'\n\n\"Let us, friends, watch this unruly member. Profanity and vulgarity\nbespeak a vile mind. We trust that our trouble is not so serious as\nthis; but we still have the unkind word, the hotly-spoken word, to\nwatch and to avoid.\n\n\"Boys, watch your thoughts and words. Do you know, I would rather see\na boy with jam smeared all over his cheeks than to hear a 'smutty'\nremark from his lips? Yes--the jam wouldn't hurt him a bit, but the\nsmut can't be washed off. You all want clean hands and a clean\nface. It is still more important to have a clean mind and clean\nspeech.\"\n\n\n\nFLYING\n    --Perseverance\n    --Courage\n\nThe Aeroplane Illustrates the Necessity of Going Forward\nConstantly.\n\nTHE LESSON--That a life, if it is to progress, must not falter at\ndifficulties, but push steadily forward.\n\nThis illustration is especially appropriate for occasions which\ninterest the juniors and their elders, for the reason that anything\nwhich teaches perseverance and steadfastness in the right can be heard\nwith profit at any time.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n[Because of the details in the drawing of the aeroplane, it may be\nwell to finish Fig. 110, complete, before beginning the talk. In\nopening, refer to the aeroplane in such a manner as will fit your\nlocality. For instance, if the aeroplane is a common sight, say, \"We\nhave all been interested in seeing the aeroplane glide through the\nair,\" etc., while, if it has not yet made its appearance in your\nlocality, you may refer to the fact that all have seen pictures of the\nmodern invention. The talk assumes that the aeroplane has not yet\nvisited your neighborhood.]\n\n\"Every one of us is interested in flying. Ever since God created man,\nman has been trying to learn how to fly, but always, until of recent\nyears, he has suffered the sad fate of 'Darius Green and His Flying\nMachine.' For many centuries man has been impatient because he has had\nto stay down on earth or else go up in a clumsy balloon, which is not\na flying machine at all! But, at last, he has made for himself a\nmachine which he calls the aeroplane and the tedious problem has been\nsolved quite satisfactorily, so that we now hear a great deal about\nmonoplanes and biplanes, all of which are classed under the general\nheading of aeroplanes. I will draw the outlines of one of these flying\nmachines.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 110]\n\n[If you have drawn the picture, Fig. 110, in advance, merely indicate\nthe parts as you proceed; otherwise, point them out as you finish each\npart of the machine.]\n\n\"This style of machine is known as the biplane, or two-plane. This\nupper part is one of the planes, and this lower part is the other.\nThis part out in front is that portion of the steering apparatus which\nenables the aviator to guide the machine up or down, and this part at\nthe back is to govern the side-to-side movements. When the machine\nstands on the ground it rests on these three little wheels, which are\nlike bicycle wheels. Here sits the aviator, and directly back of him\nis the powerful little engine which sets the propeller whirling at the\nrear. The machine makes a noise like a swift-running motor boat or a\nmotorcycle. It starts off on its wheels and rapidly increases its\nspeed until it rises from the ground and sails away gracefully into\nthe upper air. [Your drawing of Fig. 110 should now be complete.]\n\n\"As you look at this machine, remember that it is not at all like a\nballoon. The bag of a balloon, filled with gas, is lighter than the\nair; hence, it stays up without any trouble, unless the bag breaks and\nlets the gas out. But the aeroplane has no gas bag; it is heavier than\nthe air and it must '_keep a-goin'_' in order to stay up at\nall. Remember this: _Just as soon as the aeroplane stops, it comes\ncrashing to the earth_, like so many have done, bringing death and\ndestruction.\n\n[Quickly detach your drawing paper from your board, turn it one-fourth\naround and re-attach it with thumb tacks. With broad strokes of black\ncrayon indicate the foreground. Add lines of mountains, completing\nFig. 111.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 111]\n\n\"You boys know how it is when you are riding a bicycle. Your wheel\nwill stay upright as long as you are pushing ahead, but as soon as you\nstop the wheel topples over.\n\n\"Sometimes the aeroplane engine fails to work, sometimes a wire or rod\nbreaks, sometimes the aviator attempts to do some fancy flying which\nthrows the machine out of balance, sometimes the wind prevents the\nmachine from going on in its course. Any of these things may cause the\nmachine to stop going forward and come dashing downward.\n\n\"You, boys--and you, girls--and we older men and women, are just like\nthe aeroplane in one great particular. In the Christian life, in our\nwork, in our study, in our efforts to do good, we can never hope to\nsucceed and progress if we let anything stop us in the way. How truly\ndoes all this apply to the Sunday School. The stand-still boy and the\nstand-still girl never get anywhere. The stand-still Sunday School is\n'a dead one.' Life in Sunday School means movement, forward and\nupward. If the flying machine stops, it comes crashing to the\nearth. If the Sunday School stops, you will also 'hear something\ndrop.' And the same thing is true of us as Christians. Praying and\npsalm singing are not enough. Backsliding begins when Christians stop\nworking--stop going forward. If we would _grow_, we must _go_!\nAnd '_keep a-goin'_!\"\n\n\n\nTHE PLUM TREE\n    --Mothers' Day\n    --Training\n\nThe Responsibility of Motherhood--A Lesson From the Tree\nNursery.\n\nTHE LESSON--That constant training and cultivation are necessary to\nthe attainment of excellence in plant life; so, also, the quality of\nthe child depends upon the home training.\n\nMothers' Day, usually observed on the second Sunday in May, is\nbecoming valued more and more in the Sunday School as the years go\nby. Miss Anna Jarvis, of Philadelphia, is said to have originated the\nidea in her effort to commemorate the anniversary of the death of her\nmother. She saw, in the wearing of a carnation on a selected day, a\nsilent and beautiful tribute to motherhood throughout the world. The\ncustom is usually followed by the wearing of a white carnation in\nmemory of the mother departed, while a colored flower is worn for the\nmother living. The school decorations should be worked out in a manner\nappropriate to the day and its significance. The present talk deals\nspecifically with the responsibility of motherhood.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"We have come today with our hearts filled with tender memories of the\nmothers who have gone--memories as sweet as these beautiful flowers,\nwhose whiteness tells of their purity; whose form brings back the\nthought of their beauty; whose fragrance tells again of their love,\nand whose enduring qualities remind us of their faithfulness and\nconstancy.\n\n\"But today I want to speak especially of the mothers who are still\nwith us, those whose hair is tinged with silver, and especially of\nthose other younger mothers who are today the close companions of\ntheir children.\n\n\"The carnation, as we see it today, was not always such a perfect\nblossom--no, it is a development of the modest little old-fashioned\npink. Men everywhere are devoting their attention to the betterment of\nthings in the vegetable and animal world. We are constantly bringing\nforth more splendid cattle and horses and sheep, through cultivation;\nLuther Burbank and his followers are giving us each year more perfect\nvegetables and fruits and flowers, through scientific cultivation.\nHere, for example, we find in a northern state a plum tree bearing\nfruit such as no other northern tree ever produced before. We ask the\nnurseryman how it is possible to transplant this fruit from a warmer\nzone to the region of rigorous Winters. He replies that this tree was\nnot brought from a warmer locality, but that it grew here from the\nbeginning. How, then, can it be made to produce such big, splendid\nplums when no other tree in the neighborhood grows such luscious\nfruit?\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 112]\n\n\"Here is the explanation: The tree was found growing wild in the\nwoods. [Draw the branch of Fig. 112 in brown and the leaves in green.]\nAnd there in the woods it produced only very small, sour\nplums. [Complete Fig. 112 by drawing the plums in purple or a\ncombination of red and blue.] But with this hardy tree to work on, the\nfruit experts, through grafting and cultivation, have caused it to\nbring forth this large, luscious fruit. [With purple, or a combination\nof red and blue, enlarge the plums, completing Fig. 113.] These men\nknew what to do and they did it. If they hadn't done it, the tree,\nworthless and neglected, would still bear little, sour plums instead\nof big, sweet ones.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 113]\n\n\"Mothers, the nursery of your home is like the nursery where the fruit\nexperts do their wonderful work. God has placed in your keeping these\nlittle ones. You are the expert whose business it is to see that as\nthey grow older they will not bear the small, sour fruit of wrong\nliving, but the large, sweet fruit of Christian service. What they are\nto be depends upon _you_. The plum tree in the woods could not\ngrow better of itself. _It had to have help._ And yet, we find\nmothers everywhere who seem to think that the child can develop into a\nhigh type of manhood and womanhood if he is provided with a plenty to\neat and wear and with the public school and the Sunday school at his\ndisposal.\n\n\"Within the heart of each mother God has implanted a natural knowledge\nof how to care for the child. To fail to apply this knowledge is to\nfail to reach up to a parent's highest privilege.\n\n\"The Sunday school can do much, but we must remember that home was\nGod's first and holiest school. It is in the home that the child\nreceives his first and most lasting lessons. Let us not misjudge the\nability of the child to perceive the inconsistency, the insincerity,\nof father and mother. Even though the parent be a teacher in the\nSunday school, her influence cannot be for the best if her everyday\nlife is wasted in society and unworthy amusements. The father's praise\nof the Bible loses its gilt edge when the boy sees him bound up in the\nSunday paper for two hours, without ever finding time to read the\nScriptures.\n\n\"Let us all, therefore, look at this whole matter seriously. We may\neach have a part in this training, this cultivating, this producing of\nbetter minds, better hands and cleaner lives, but after all, mothers,\nthe great responsibility is yours, for it is into your hands that God\nhas placed the children, these innocent little ones who are a type of\nheaven itself.\"\n\n\n\nTHE HOLLOW TREE\n    --Decision Day\n    --Honesty\n\nA Figure of the Deceitful Life--The True Test of Character.\n\nTHE LESSON--That stability or weakness of character are revealed\nwhen the supreme test comes.\n\nThis lesson from nature is planned to impress the truth that we must\nbe worthy \"through and through\" if we are to endure the test of\ncharacter which comes to every life.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"I want every one of you to stop looking at me and to take a good look\nat the wood out of which the pew ahead of you is made. [If necessary,\nrevise the following sentences to meet your immediate conditions.]\nYou will notice that the pew is made up of a good many pieces of oak\nfastened together so nicely that you can hardly tell where they are\njoined. And so it is with all this other furniture, and with the\ntables and the chairs and the bookcases in your homes and everywhere\nelse. A great many fine trees must be cut down every day to furnish\nthe wood from which all the things are made. The furniture\nmanufacturers buy the wood in the form of heavy lumber. The companies\nwhich sell this lumber to the furniture factories send their expert\ntree buyers into the forests to pick out the trees which will make the\nbest lumber. These tree experts go into the forests and select the\ntrees that they want, and leave all the others standing.\n\n\"One day a tree buyer, after examining an oak grove, told the owner\nthat he would pay him a certain amount of money for a specified number\nof trees, and at the same time he pointed out the trees which he\nwanted.\n\n\"'But,' said the owner of the forest, 'you have overlooked one of the\nnicest-looking trees of them all. Don't you want this one?' [Draw\noutlines of tree, Fig. 114.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 114]\n\n\"'No,' replied the buyer, 'I can't use that tree. It is no good for\nour purpose.'\n\n\"'No good!' exclaimed the owner, 'why that tree looks to me to be a\ngood deal better than some that you selected.'\n\n\"But the buyer was an expert and knew what he was talking about. To\nshow the owner what was the trouble with it, he cut the tree down, and\nthis is what they found: [Remove the paper from the drawing board;\nturn it one-fourth around, and reattach to the board; add lines to\ncomplete Fig. 115.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 115]\n\n\"What was the matter with the tree? Yes, it was hollow. The owner was\na much-surprised man. The expert, by tapping the tree with the blunt\nside of his ax, could tell that the tree was not solid. We might call\nit a deceitful tree because it seemed to be better than it really was.\n\n\"Sometimes we hear of deceitful men and women--deceitful boys and\ngirls. None of us wants to be called deceitful, for the world has no\nmore use for a deceitful person than this man had for a hollow\ntree. Some may think that they may deceive their friends and everyone\nelse around them, but they get found out sooner or later, and, worst\nof all, their lives are an open book to the Lord, who sees and knows\ntheir every thought. The hollow tree in the forest is certain to come\ncrashing to the earth when a severe storm breaks. The deceitful man or\nwoman suffers a like fate when something happens to reveal their\nhollow lives to the world.\n\n\"On this Decision day, let us resolve anew to make our lives of solid\nworth through and through. We can do it only by coming close to the\nMaster and learning from Him how to live.\n\n\"The trouble with the tree in the forest was that it was not sound.\nIt lacked _inside strength_. Even a slight tap of the ax proved\nthat it was a sort of 'hollow mockery.' It was a good-looking tree on\nthe outside, but its heart was not right. And isn't that exactly the\ncase with a lot of good-looking, well-dressed people? Why, even a boy\nor a girl can be all wrong at the heart, though their faces and hands\nand clothes are clean and beautiful.\n\n\"Have you ever stopped to think what good eyes God has? He never needs\na telescope or a microscope, for 'the eyes of the Lord are in every\nplace, beholding the evil and the good.' God never beholds evil where\nthere is none, but no boy or girl, man or woman, can hide it so well\nin their hearts but that God sees it and knows it.\n\n\"Let us, therefore, on this Decision day, resolve never to let deceit\ncome into our hearts, to make our lives hollow, but to be sound in\ncharacter through and through.\"\n\n\n\nTWO MEN\n    --Ideals\n    --Error\n\nKnow Your Man Before You Trust and Follow Him--Our Ideals.\n\nTHE LESSON--That we cannot safely choose an example of true living\nfrom among those about us, without knowing their real character.\n\nThe accompanying illustration is offered for occasions in which\nchildren--especially boys--above the primary age are interested.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"There are a good many boys and girls who make a great mistake in\ntrying to imitate older people; and there are a good many older people\nwho make a great mistake when they try blindly to make a success of\nthings just because other people have been successful in doing\nthem. It is a splendid thing to want to have in our lives the same\ngreat governing principles which rule the lives of people who stand\nbefore us as splendid models of character; but it is not always a good\nthing to try to do the very same things that these people do. Why?\nBecause it is likely that we are not cut out to do their kind of work.\nThe Lord may have intended that we should follow an entirely different\nline of effort. Let us, therefore, cultivate in our own lives the\ngreat and true principles which we find in other people, but let us\nalso try to find out what the Lord wants us to do, and then let us\nlearn to do it just the very best we can.\"\n\n\"'Blessed is he,' says Thomas Carlyle, 'who has found his work; let\nhim ask no other blessing.' The surest way to find what our life work\nis to be is to '_do the common things uncommonly well_.' If we do\nthis, our life-work will be pointed out to us clearly and plainly.\nTherefore, in selecting our ideals in life, let us be careful how we\nchoose.\"\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 116]\n\n\"A boy, whom we will call John, worked in a certain downtown\noffice. Two men used to pass the window of his place of employment\nvery frequently. These two men were never together--in fact, they were\nnot even acquainted with each other. Here is one of the men who passed\nJohn's window. [Draw Fig. 116, complete.] He was evidently a laboring\nman, as John judged from his clothing, which showed the effects of\nhard work of a rather rough character. He carried a dinner\nbucket. John merely noticed that this man passed and repassed his\nwindow every day, but gave him very little thought. But there was\nanother man who did attract John's attention. Here he is: [Draw the\nsecond man, completing Fig. 117.] This second man was always well\ndressed, and he appeared to be a prominent business or professional\nman. Everything in his appearance and manner attracted the admiration\nof the boy. Without knowing it, John was selecting an ideal--he was\nstudying the people whom he saw and hoping to be unlike this one and\nto be like that one.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 117]\n\n\"'Some day,' he said to himself, as the prosperous, well-dressed man\nwalked by, 'when I grow up, I hope I shall be just like him.' He had\nchosen his ideal. The man was one of the leading merchants of the\ncity, and when John found this to be so, he was still more firmly\ndetermined to pattern his life after the man whom he admired.\n\n\"A short time after this John's folks--his father, mother, brothers\nand sisters--removed to another part of the city--and to the boy's\ngreat surprise, he found that the merchant lived just a square away.\nIncidentally, too, he found that the laboring man lived right next\ndoor to his new home.\n\n\"And, right then and there, John learned one of the great lessons of\nhis life. What did he learn about the merchant? He learned that the\nman, while he looked pleasant and kindly, was selfish and unkind. He\nlearned that the making and hoarding of money was his great object in\nlife. He learned that he cared but little for the comfort and welfare\nof other people. He learned that the man's family was unhappy because\nno home can be happy when selfishness and unkindness reign.\n\n\"What else did he learn? He learned that the laboring man who lived\nnext door was one of the finest men he ever knew. He learned that the\nwhole family was so kind and helpful that he soon forgot the merchant\nand his fine clothes. He learned that the laboring man with his wife\nhad been willing to live humbly and work hard in order that their\nchildren might be kept in school and then go to college. He learned\nthat all the children of the neighborhood liked to go to this man's\nhome where everybody seemed to have such a jolly good time. He found\nthat the Bible was opened every day while the Scriptures were read,\nand that the dust never had a chance to gather on its covers.\n\n\"So one day, when John was looking out of the window of his place of\nemployment, and received a happy smile from his friend, the working\nman, he said to himself, 'I've changed my mind. Clothes don't count\nfor everything. To be a good man depends upon what's _inside_,\nand not what's on the outside. When I grow up, I want to be just as\ngood and kind as this man is.'\n\n\"Let us all be careful in choosing our examples of how to live. The\nlife of Christ is full of help to us, and the lives of many of His\ntrue disciples all about us today give us a practical illustration of\nthe best way to live.\"\n\n\n\nTREE SURGERY\n    --Rally Day\n    --Obstacles\n\nTrees Need Skillful Surgery More Often Than People Do--Superfluous\nBranches.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the life which wastes its strength in unnecessary\nefforts cannot bring forth the best fruits.\n\nThat the boys and girls may realize the sad results of forming habits\nwhich hinder growth, development and fruit-bearing, is one of the\ngreat objects of the teaching of the Sunday school. Rally Day is an\nespecially appropriate time for a lesson along this line of thought.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"A stranger from the East was visiting a large fruit farm in the\ncelebrated Hood River Valley in Oregon. He was astonished at the size\nand appearance of the growing apples, and he asked the owner of the\nfruit farm to tell him the secret of such wonderful results.\n\n\"'There is no secret at all,' responded the fruit raiser. 'You see, if\na tree is allowed to do as it pleases, it usually covers itself with a\nvast number of useless branches and a multitude of leaves, which are\nof no benefit whatever except to make shade; and when a tree has too\nmany branches and too many leaves it requires so much strength to keep\nthem alive that there isn't enough left to put into the fruit. In\nother words, the tree can't bear large, fine fruit if it must also\nsupport a lot of useless branches and leaves.' This is the way an\napple tree will grow if it is allowed to have its own way. [With the\nbroad side of your green chalk, draw the general form of the tree,\nFig. 118; add the trunk and dead branches in brown, and draw the grass\nwith green, and the apples in red, completing Fig. 118.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 118]\n\n\"'Such a tree can never bear good apples,' continued the fruit\nman. 'Many of its branches die, because the tree simply can't support\nso many limbs and leaves. Notice that all our trees are carefully\ntrimmed.' And he pointed the visitor to trees that looked like this:\n[Draw the second tree, using the same colors as in Fig. 118,\ncompleting Fig. 119.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 119]\n\n\"'It is an absolute fact,' added the fruit man, 'that if we allow\nthese unnecessary leaves and branches to stay on the tree they absorb\nthe life and strength which must go into the fruit if we are to raise\nfruit for which there is a market. So we cut off everything that can\nbe spared, and we get the best fruit that grows.'\n\n\"'Then it doesn't all depend upon the place where the fruit is grown?'\nobserved the visitor.\n\n\"'No,' laughed the fruit man. 'Many people think it does. Of course,\nthe soil and climate have a good deal to do with it, and we must\nprepare the ground and keep it in the proper condition; we must also\nkeep the trees free from disease and insects. But all of this same\nwork has to be done, no matter where the apples are raised, and the\nsoil and climate in many other parts of the United States are just as\ngood as they are here. _It depends upon the know-how!_\n\n\"Ah, that's the secret! It depends upon the know-how!\n\n\"Boys and girls, on this Rally Day, let me ask you: Are you going to\nlet your life grow to be like this tree? [Indicate the first.] Or is\nit to be like this one? [Indicate the second.] What do I mean? Here is\nwhat I mean:\n\n\"If a girl lets her thoughts run too much to clothes and parties--if\nshe worries about her failure to do the things which other girls can\ndo, and which God never intended she also should do--if she is\nspending her time reading books which can never be of any possible\ngood to her--if she is becoming fault-finding, cynical, cross,\nselfish--if she is doing any of these things which keep her from being\nwhat she ought to be--her everyday life _needs trimming_! Think\nit over. If you find any useless, strength-absorbing thing in your\nlife, _cut it out_!\n\n\"Boys, are you letting any bad habits grow into your life? Are you\nwasting your time running after pleasures and amusements that don't\nhelp you to be better boys? Are you getting chummy with other boys\nwhose companionship is not good and whose words and deeds you would\nnot dare to talk about at home? Are you reading useless books and\nletting the treasures of literature on mother's bookshelf at home go\nuntouched? Are you trying to find short-cuts to success, when there\nisn't any such thing, and neglecting the hard work which has brought\nhonor and success to all who have reached a high place? If you are\ndoing any of these things, get out the pruning hook of good resolution\nand the sharp ax of determination. Trim off all these useless\nthings. Gather them in a heap and burn them. Then, in the years to\ncome, will you find that you have been able to be of use to the world\nand to yourself. But you can't do it with these useless,\nstrength-robbing things growing on your lives. Among the last words of\nJesus on earth were these: 'Herein is my Father glorified, that ye\nbear much fruit.' If we are to bear much fruit, we must trim off the\nuseless things and allow the bright sunshine of His approval and\nguidance to come into our lives.\"\n\n\n\nTHE PILGRIMS\n    --Thanksgiving Day\n    --Bravery\n\nThe Story of Their Steadfastness of Faith is an Inspiring Study for\nThanksgiving Day.\n\nTHE LESSON--That the blessings for which we are thankful today have\ncome through those whose faith was firmly grounded.\n\nThanksgiving Day should be one of mixed seriousness and smiles. This\nchalk talk endeavors to meet this combination in its treatment of the\ncharacter of the Pilgrims and of the present-time observation of the\nday which had its beginning in Plymouth colony.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"The thoughts of Christian people all over America should turn today\nback to the twenty-second day of December, 1620, when that company of\nnoble men and women, after battling with the ocean waves for two\nmonths, succeeded in getting ashore from their sturdy little boat, the\nMayflower, and set their feet upon the new land of America. The spot\nwhere these Pilgrims landed is now a sacred one. We call it Plymouth\nRock, and there we may still see the rock on which they are said to\nhave stepped as they came ashore in their row-boats.\n\n\"Who were these people? And why did they come to America and start a\ncolony when there were no white people anywhere around; when savage\nIndians would surely try to kill them; when they would have to labor\nhard to get any food or clothing, and where they would have to live in\nthe wild country in huts which must be made from the logs which they\nwould cut out of the forest?\n\n\"The Pilgrims were people from England who loved God and wanted to do\nHis will. But there were other and more powerful people in England who\npunished them and treated them shamefully because they did not choose\nto do things which they knew would not please God. Finally, to get\naway from their persecutors, they left England and went over to\nHolland where they tried to live as they believed the Lord would have\nthem live. But there they found a rough, immoral lot of people--mostly\nsailors and soldiers who had left the service of their country and\nwere leading reckless lives. For the good of their children, they\ndecided not to remain there. They then bade farewell to all that was\nnear and dear to them in the old country and started across the ocean\nto America--the new land. After a voyage of two months, they reached\nthe bleak, rocky coast of Massachusetts, and they knew that if they\ncould come ashore safely, they could here worship God just as they\nwished to do.\n\n\"We are glad that they kept a diary of what they did. When they asked\nthe London company to let them start a colony in America, they said,\n'We verily believe that God is with us and will prosper us in our\nendeavors. We are men who will not be easily discouraged.' That's the\nkind of people they said they were--the women as well as the men--and\nthey proved it to be so. After they had signed the constitution which\nwas the foundation of the first democratic government in America,\nwhile the Mayflower was standing in the harbor, the brave company of\none hundred and one disembarked from their little vessel and commenced\nat once to chop down the trees needed to build homes and to provide\nfuel, for it was in the dead of winter. Before the first winter had\nended, forty of their number had died from exposure, famine and\ndisease, but when the Mayflower started back on its return trip to\nEngland, not one of the survivors would go with the ship's crew.\nHere, then, on this bleak, forbidding New England coast these Pilgrims\nset up the first model government. [Draw a little of the outline of\nthe New England states at the upper right-hand corner of Fig. 120.]\nThey had trouble with the Indians, but the Red Men soon came to\nrespect them, and peace continued for many years. Three years after\nthey had landed, Governor Bradford proclaimed a great feast--the feast\nof Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving! How dear the word has grown. 'Out of\nsmall beginnings,' says Governor Bradford in his history of the\ncolony, 'great things have been produced by His hand that made all\nthings out of nothing; and, as one small candle will light a thousand,\nso the light here kindled hath shone to many, yea, to our whole\nnation.'\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 120]\n\n\"And, today, this nation, the greatest nation on the earth, still\nlooks back to that first Thanksgiving Day. [Draw the remaining lines\nto complete Fig. 120.]\n\n\"To us, it is a day of worship and feasting, and in both of these\nfeatures we are following the example of Governor Bradford, Elder\nWilliam Brewster, John Carver, Edward Winslow, Miles Standish and the\nother brave men and women who formed that early company. We do not go\nout into the woods for the wild turkey as they did. But we get the\nturkey just the same. I have no doubt that your thoughts of\nthanksgiving to God for his many blessings to us this year are already\nmingling with thoughts of scenes like this: [Detach the map drawing\nfrom the board, turn it over and re-attach it with thumb tacks. Change\nthe map into a steaming roast turkey by adding the lines to form the\nwing, the \"drumstick,\" the garnishment and the plate. Use black for\nall but the garnishment. This completes Fig. 121].\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 121]\n\n\n\nOUR HANDS\n    --Visitors' Day\n    --Conduct\n\nActions Sometimes Speak Plainer Than Words--The Important Part\nWhich Our Hands Play.\n\nTHE LESSON--That we should watch carefully \"the work of our\nhands.\"\n\nThis chatty little talk about the hand may be given added force if the\nspeaker will, by the use of his own hands, illustrate the\ncharacteristics and emotions as they are mentioned.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"Today, we shall talk a little about our hands--these most useful\n'tools' that are fastened to the outer ends of our arms.\n\n\"Helen Keller, who has been deaf and blind ever since she was a little\nchild, tells us that her hands are a splendid substitute for eyes and\nears, and that their sensitive touch has revealed to her the beauties\nand wonders of the world. In other words, she _has seen the world\nwith her hands_!\n\n\"Did you ever see a palmist read a hand? It is a very interesting\nthing, although most of us haven't a great deal of confidence in the\nrevelations which the palmist finds there in the lines and the high\nplaces and the low places. [Draw the hand and put in the lettering of\nFig. 122.] We laugh at the mistakes which the palmist makes, even\nthough we think seriously of the true things she speaks.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 122]\n\n\"But we don't need to go to the palmist to find out what is really in\nour hands--to find out the real story they have to tell. Look at your\nown hands a moment Let us see what we find there.\n\n\"Are your hands the kind that clasp other hands in warm friendship?\nAre they hands which are busy every day doing good, honest work? Are\nthey hands that take food and clothing to the poor? Are they hands\nthat stroke the fevered brow? Are they hands that help to lighten the\nburdens of other people? Are they hands that lift up the fallen one\nand point him to Him who said, 'Come unto me all ye that labor and are\nheavy laden?' Are they hands that help wherever and whenever they can?\n_Think about it! Are they?_\n\n\"Or, are they hands that clench in anger? Are they hands that crush\nheartlessly? Are they hands that drag downward? Are they hands that\npull backward? Are they hands that strike in cruelty? Are they hands\nthat slap insultingly? Are they hands that tear pitilessly? Are they\nhands that grope into the dark places and do more harm than good?\n_Think about it! Are they?_\n\n\"Or, are they hands that drop lazily? Are they hands that lie idly and\nfold indolently? _Think about it! Are they?_\n\n\"In God's word, we find the hand mentioned more than a hundred\ntimes. It appears constantly as an index of character. So, you see,\nthere is more than one way to determine character than by the\n'reading' of the hand. Of the industrious, busy hand, Solomon says,\n'The hand of the diligent shall bear rule, but the slothful shall be\nunder tribute.' And again of the lazy hand, he says, 'How long wilt\nthou sleep? When wilt thou rise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep,\na little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep.' What a\npicture of laziness!\n\n\"But in no other place in the Bible do we find such striking\nreferences to the hand as in the words of the Psalmist. [Insert the\nletter \"S\" in Palmist, changing it to Psalmist.] Here is what the\nPsalmist says: 'He that hath clean hands and a pure heart shall\nreceive the blessing of the Lord. Let the beauty of the Lord our God\nbe upon us and establish the work of our hands; yea, the work of our\nhands, establish thou it.\" [Add the words, \"The Work of Our Hands,\nEstablish Thou It.\"]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 123]\n\n\"This is a splendid prayer for all of us. To our visitors today, we\nextend a warm hand, because you are as welcome as the flowers in\nMay. Ours is the 'right hand of fellowship,' as Paul calls it. Here we\nhave a plenty of work for many more hands to do--willing hands, busy\nhands, loving hands. If yours are not busy doing a work of uplift and\nhelpfulness somewhere else, remember that we shall be glad to enlist\nthem in service here. The lines of E. A. Houseman, in his poem, 'A\nShropshire Lad' show most beautifully the thought which we should give\nthe work of our hands as the days bring new problems and\nopportunities:\n\n      \"'Hand,' said I, 'since now we part\n        From fields and men we know by heart,\n        For strangers' faces, strangers' lands,\n        Hand, you have held true fellows' hands;\n        Be clean, then!--rot, before you do\n        A thing they'd not believe of you!'\"\n\n\n\nHELEN KELLER\n    --Girl's Day\n    --Seeing\n\nHer Wonderful Experience Furnishes an Inspiring Thought for Girls'\nDay.\n\nTHE LESSON--That our physical eyes cannot reveal to us the precious\ngifts of God; only our spiritual eyes can tell us of His loving\nkindness.\n\nHelen Keller's wondrous life is full of inspiration, and a study of it\nwill provide the conscientious teacher with many helpful thoughts.\nThe illustration is especially appropriate for Girls' Day.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n\n\"It happens very often that two people look at the same thing at the\nsame time, and each of the two sees something entirely different from\nthe other. Somebody has described the optimist as the man who sees the\ndoughnut, while the pessimist sees nothing but the hole. So, also, you\nand I might see before us nothing but an unshapely block of marble,\nwhile the sculptor would see the angel in the stone!\n\n\"All of this proves to us that what we see doesn't depend upon our\neyesight, but upon the mind which is back of the eyesight and which\nreceives the impressions not only through the eyes but through the\nsenses of hearing, tasting, smelling and feeling. In fact, our eyes\nand our ears may be tightly closed--we may be totally deaf and\nblind--and still we may be able to 'see' things more clearly than we\nmight with our eyesight and our hearing.\n\n\"We have all heard about Helen Keller, the deaf and blind girl. I will\ndraw an outline of her portrait. [Draw Fig. 124, with eye closed,\ncomplete.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 124]\n\n\"This young woman has been deprived of her eyesight and hearing ever\nsince she was a young child, and yet her ability to learn, to\ncomprehend, to understand, to really 'see,' is developed to such a\nhigh degree that she is advanced far beyond most well-educated people\nwho possess all of their natural faculties.\n\n\"Helen Keller, now grown to womanhood, has written many wonderful\nthings. Here is one of them: 'It does not matter where we are, so long\nas we have light in our hearts and make our dark ways ring with the\nmusic of burdens cheerfully borne and tasks bravely filled. They say\nlife is a closed book to me. One critic doubted that I could feel the\nsun, and I believe he thought others felt it for me. But if, indeed, I\nhad so little share as that in the life of others, it would still be\ntrue that\n\n      \"'The least flower with brimming cup may stand\n        And share its dewdrops with another near.'\n\n\"Truly, the eyes of Helen Keller are widely opened to the great truths\nand wonderful beauties around her--[change lines of the eye slightly,\ncompleting Fig. 125]--whereas, the eyes of many of us which are\nsupposed to be wide open, are indeed closed to many of God's\nblessings. Many of us have eyes to _see_ with, but we use them\nonly to _look_ with. Helen Keller has seen more and done more\nwithout eyes than thousands who have perfect eyes, but have never\nlearned to use them.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 125]\n\n\"Helen Keller should be an inspiration to every girl here today.\nLearn from her life the great principles of true living.\n\n\"Let us first ask the question, 'How did she reach the high place to\nwhich she has been able to attain?' She must have had help. Yes, she\ndid have help. It came chiefly through a dear friend, Miss Sullivan,\nwho, through patient years, sent the light into the darkness which\nenveloped the poor deaf and blind girl. And listen:\n\n\"Never, during those years of patient endeavor, did Miss Sullivan\nallow Helen Keller to receive a wrong impression of things about her.\n\n\"Stop a moment and think what all that means! Nothing came into the\nlife of the girl but clear, certain truth. The false, the unlovely,\nthe hideous, the deceitful, the unreal, never came in to distort her\nview while she was a child, and so, when she later learned of the\nsadder side of life, through her extensive reading, she was well\nprepared to sympathize with those whose youth was not so well favored\nas her own. Let us be careful in helping to shape the lives of the\nchildren, never to leave with them a wrong impression which may\nrequire a lifetime to remove from their minds.\n\n\"'It must be,' says Helen Keller, 'that when the Lord took from me one\nfaculty, He gave me another, which is in no way impossible. I think of\nthe beautiful Italian proverb, 'When God shuts a door, he opens a\nwindow.'\n\n\"Truly, God has opened a window to let in the sunshine of His love and\ncare, and this blind girl is one of His brightest children.\n\n\"What an example to the world is Helen Keller! What an example to\nevery girl who has heard of her great success. Up with a monument to\nher memory! Build it high and strong! She has shown the world how\ndifficulties can be overcome by determination and perseverance, and to\nwhat rugged, lofty heights one may attain, even though he carry the\nheaviest of burdens!\"\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF A KITE\n    --Conceit\n    --Vanity\n\nA Fable Talk to Children About the Ambitious Flier Which Broke the\nString.\n\nTHE LESSON--That sometimes the things which seem to be hindering us\nand holding us down are the very things which we need to hold us up\nand build us up.\n\nIn the days of our grandfathers and grandmothers, the children were\ntaught from the beginning to perform many household duties which the\nchildren of today know nothing of. Whether it be a cause or an effect,\nthe truth of the matter is that the modern tendency is to get away\nfrom the home influence and home responsibilities at a very early\nage--to break loose from \"mother's apron strings.\" The talk deals with\nthis phase of modern life.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n~~(By Chas. D. Meigs.)~~\n\n\"I am going to draw you a picture this morning, and I am wondering\nwhich one of you will be able to tell me first what it is a picture\nof. I will go a little slow, so you can all follow every line and\nthink real hard what it is going to be! [Begin drawing Fig. 126, at\nthe lines indicating the distant foliage; then draw the tail, and\nfinally the kite frame and string.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 126]\n\n\"No, no, no! It's not a wood pile! It's not a gridiron! No, it is not\na trap! Where's the boy who said 'kite?' He's the smartie, for he got\nit right. Yes--it's a kite, and it was John's kite.\n\n\"One day the wind came up just right for the kite, so John got it out,\ncalled to his chum, Harry, across the street, and said, 'Say, Harry,\ncome on--let's go out and fly the kite; the wind is just dandy today.'\n\n\"So, away the boys went, and before they reached the open lot three or\nfour other kids had fallen in line, and they went along to help have\nthe fun. 'Now, Harry, you take the kite and run out there towards that\nold stump,' said John, 'and when I pull the string, you stop and hold\nthe kite up over your head as high as you can and when I say 'ready'\nyou let her go.' Away went Harry, and he held up the kite. [Let\nspeaker hold up a song book, high.] 'Are you ready?' 'Yes.' 'Well,\nthen, let her go.' And with that, along came a gust of wind which laid\nhold of that kite and began to climb right up towards the sky with\nit. Higher and higher it went till the kite which was really as tall\nas the boy who owned it, didn't look much bigger than his hat But\nHarry kept on letting out the string, till the hat looked like a bird\nwith a great long tail.' [Let speaker here shade his eyes with his\nhand and peer and point steadily up towards the sky and occasionally\ntake a peep at the audience and see the boys and girls also looking up\nthrough the roof at the kite. The writer has so caught them at it many\na time.] Then John looked down to see how much string he had left,\nand he let out more and more, and when he looked up at the kite again\nhe didn't look at it at all--because he could not see it. It was out\nof sight! But he knew it was up there all right for he _felt it\npull_!\n\n\"Now, I guess this kite story is a fable, because in fables kites can\ntalk as well as the boys who fly them. So when the kite got up so\nhigh, the story says that it began to want to talk, and as there was\nnobody up there to talk to, it began to talk to itself, and here is\nwhat it said:\n\n\"'My! but ain't I high today? Never got so high in all my life\nbefore. How beautiful the world looks below me! How beautiful the sky\nlooks above me! Dear me, I can't be so very far from the man in the\nmoon! I have often heard of him, but have never met him. Gee! I wish\nthat boy would let go of that string; if he would, I'd go up and shake\nhands with the man in the moon and ask him how he is. I just hate to\nbe _held down_ all the time. I heard Harry say, the other day,\nthat he didn't went to be tied to his mother's apron string, and that\nhe'd like to be his own man.' Yes, and I'd like to be my own kite,\ntoo, and then I'd show these boys where I'd go.' And the more the kite\nthought of being 'held down,' the madder it got and finally it said,\n'If that boy don't let go of that string, I'll _break it_--that's\nwhat I'll do, and I'll go on up to the moon, now see if I don't!' And\nwith that, the kite gave a sudden jerk--and--_snap went the\nstring_!\n\n\"And what do you think, children--did the kite reach the man in the\nmoon? Not much it didn't!' It began to act crazy and silly and drunk\nall at the same time! And it wobbled, and wobbled and stumbled and\ntumbled and finally it fell in the dirt, battered and broken like\nthat! [Detach your drawing, reverse it and reattach it to the drawing\nboard; add the lines to complete Fig. 127.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 127]\n\n\"Now boys, why did the kite fall, when the string broke? Because the\nvery same _string_ which had _held it down_ was the very same\n_thing_ which _held it up_! And now listen--don't you boys\nand girls get as silly as the kite was. Don't you jerk, and pull and\ntug at your mother's apron string and try to break it, so you can be\n'your own man' while you are nothing but a boy or a girl? If you break\nthat string too soon, you are liable to tumble in the dirt as the kite\ndid, and go all to pieces as it did; for--don't forget this--the\nthings which _hold you down_ to Sunday School, to Church, to\nYoung People's Meeting, to _School_ and to _work_, are the\nthings which hold you up and lift you up, and keep you up and build\nyou up into _strong_, hopeful, helpful, useful, happy men and\nwomen. Don't forget what a fool the kite was, and what happened to it!\nGo as high as you can in the world but _don't break the string_!\"\n\n\n\nA STRANGE OLD EPITAPH\n    --Narrowness\n    --Broadness\n\nA Talk to Boys Concerning the Narrow Life and the Broad Life--A\nContrast.\n\nTHE LESSON--That it is all wrong to be satisfied to be a\nMr. Nobody. Do your best and be a Mr. Somebody.\n\nThe boy whose days in school and whose hours of serious thought in the\nhome have opened his eyes to future years of responsibility, will\ndrink in the sentiment of this talk and remember the lesson when he\nreaches the twists and corners of life's pathway which lies before\nhim.\n\n\n~~The Talk.~~\n~~(By Chas. D. Meigs.)~~\n\n\"I am going to tell you today of a very _narrow man_. Suppose we\ncall him Mr. Slim Jim. Later on, I will tell you about Mr. Broadman,\nand ask you which one you would rather be when you grow up.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 128]\n\n\"But first, we will turn our minds to a strange old graveyard over in\nEngland, a burying ground where there are a good many old tomb-stones\nlike this: [Draw Fig. 128, complete]. If you were to walk among these\nold gravestones, you would find one there which would make you laugh,\neven though you were in a cemetery, because the epitaph, on it is the\nfunniest you ever saw or heard of. It says:\n\n                        \"'Here Lies the Body of\n                              John Blank.\n                           He Was Born a Man\n                                  But\n                            _Died a Grocer_!'\n\n[As you speak the words slowly, draw them on the tombstone, completing\nFig. 129.]\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 129]\n\n\"Did you ever hear anything to beat that? Now, that isn't anything\nagainst grocery men. A grocery man may be just as good a man as the\npreacher himself--and just as respectable. We can't get along in this\nworld without groceries, and we just have to have men who will sell\nthem to us. Then what was the matter with John? Well, just this: His\nbusiness had swallowed him up! He had given it his whole time for\nyears, and he did nothing else. It was groceries, groceries,\ngroceries, and nothing but groceries. It was groceries on Monday,\ngroceries on Tuesday, groceries on Wednesday, groceries on Thursday,\ngroceries on Friday and groceries till eleven o'clock Saturday night,\nand if John went to church Sunday morning, sat on the front seat, and\nlooked straight at the preacher all the time (so the preacher would\nsay to himself, 'John seems to be very much interested in the sermon\nthis morning, bless the Lord'). Ten to one John wasn't thinking of the\npreacher or his sermon at all--just only of groceries--or some big\nbill he had to buy or pay on the morrow.\n\n\"Now, if the epitaph had said, 'Here lies the body of John Blank; he\nwas born a man and died a banker,' it would have been just as bad.\nOr, if he had died an undertaker, and buried himself, it would not\nhave been any better.\n\n\"Now, John, Harry, Willie, if you want to be a grocer when you grow\nup, _be a grocer_ and a big one--a wholesale grocer if you wish,\nand be a _good one_--the very best in town, if you can, but\nsay--don't let your grocery business _swallow you up_ till you\nare _not good for anything else_ but to buy and sell groceries!\nBe a _good grocer_, but be a _better, bigger MAN!!_\n\n\"Perhaps you would like to be a lawyer; very well, be a _lawyer_,\nbut see to it that you don't _die a lawyer_, and nothing but a\nlawyer. Don't let your profession swallow you up, and be bigger than\nyou are yourself! Yes, be a lawyer, be a judge, if you will; the world\ndoesn't seem to be able to get along without them--some of them to get\npeople into trouble and others to get them out of it!\n\n\"Yes, but no matter how big and how good and just a judge you are, be\na bigger, better, juster MAN.\n\n\"Here is another example. We have had Mr. Slim Jim; now let us have\nMr. Broadman--broad-shouldered--broad-backed--broad-minded--big-hearted,\nopen-pursed MAN--born a man and died a MAN. [Write last seven words on\nthe blackboard.] Remember this: It is every man's duty to provide for\nhis family, but it is no man's duty to provide a _million_ for\nthem and provide nothing for those who are aged and sick and lame and\nblind and poverty stricken, and helpless.\n\n\"That kind of charity which 'begins at home' and _stays there_ is\na shame and disgrace to its possessor. It is the kind Mr. Narrow\nMinded Slim Jim dispenses!\n\n\"Every man owes some of his time, his talent and his money to the\ntown, the state, the nation to which he belongs! He gets their help\nand protection when needed. Protection and aid perchance in time of\nfire, flood or cyclone, and police protection as well. And now let me\nclose where I begin with the gravestone and the epitaph.\" [Here draw\npicture of grave and gravestone with the epitaph, \"Here Lies John\nBlank, He Was Born a Man But Died a Grocer.\"] \"Let us read together\nonce more this strange and curious epitaph, and make up our minds that\nno one will ever have a chance to write such a sentiment on _our_\ngravestones.\"\n\nRead it in concert.\n\n\n\n\nINDEX\n\n\nTALKS FOR SPECIAL DAYS.\n\n                                                Page.\n~~Boys' Day:~~\n  \"Johnnie Appleseed\" ........................... 121\n  \"Valueless Things\" ............................ 157\n\n~~Children's Day:~~\n  \"Bring Forth Fruit\" ........................... 151\n  \"Jennie Casseday\" .............................  91\n\n~~Christmas:~~\n  \"The Christ-Child\" ............................  43\n  \"The Christmas Stockings\" .....................  22\n\n~~Cradle Roll Day:~~\n  \"Messages to the Children\" .................... 145\n  \"The Little Ones\" ............................. 166\n\n~~Decision Day:~~\n  \"The Hollow Tree\" ............................. 181\n  \"The Desert and the Mountain\" ................. 112\n\n~~Easter:~~\n  \"The Doorway\" .................................  67\n  \"Easter Lilies\" ...............................  55\n\n~~Flag Day:~~\n  \"Our Country's Flag\" .......................... 163\n\n~~Girls' Day:~~\n  \"Helen Keller\" ................................ 196\n\n~~Home Department Day:~~\n  \"Public Sentiment\" ............................ 124\n\n~~Lincoln's Birthday:~~\n  \"A Firm Foundation\" ...........................  61\n  \"True Success\" ................................  37\n\n~~Missionary Day:~~\n  \"Hidden Sunshine\" ............................. 118\n\n~~Mother's Day:~~\n  \"Mother\" ......................................  94\n  \"The Plum Tree\" ............................... 178\n\n~~New Year's Day:~~\n  \"Turn Over a New Leaf\" ........................  34\n  \"New Year's Resolutions\" ......................  97\n\n~~Rally Day:~~\n  \"The Two Flags\" ...............................  49\n  \"Tree Surgery\" ................................ 187\n\n~~Thanksgiving Day:~~\n  \"The Pilgrims\" ................................ 190\n  \"The Perfect Life\" ............................ 148\n\n~~Temperance Day:~~\n  \"The Key to Failure\" ..........................  25\n  \"The Evolution of the Jug\" ....................  79\n  \"The Keg and the Bucket\" ......................  31\n  \"Young Men, Ahoy!\" ............................ 154\n  \"The Open Saloon Door\" ........................ 103\n  \"The Heart of the Trouble\" ....................  73\n\n~~Visitors' Day:~~\n  \"Our Hands\" ................................... 193\n\n~~Washington's Birthday:~~\n  \"If Washington Lived Today\" ...................  76\n  \"Washington's Strength\" ....................... 136\n\n\nSUBJECT INDEX.\n\nAbility--\"Valueless Things\" ..................... 157\nAdversity--\"The Burned Book\" .................... 169\nAllurement--\"The Deceitfulness of Sin\" .......... 130\nAppetite--\"The Key to Failure\" ..................  25\nBravery--\"The Pilgrims\" ......................... 190\nBroadness--\"A Strange Old Epitaph\" .............. 202\nCharacter--\"If Washington Lived Today\" ..........  76\nCheerfulness--\"A Merry Heart\" ................... 139\nChildren--\"Messages to the Children\" ............ 145\nCommon People, The--\"The Story of a Hat\" ........ 160\nConceit--\"The Story of a Kite\" .................. 199\nConduct--\"Our Hands\" ............................ 193\nConscience--\"The Thief of Character\" ............  88\nConstancy--\"The Wounded Tree\" ...................  58\nConversion--\"The Desert and the Mountain\" ....... 112\nCourage--\"Flying\" ............................... 175\nDanger--\"The Mountain Climber\" .................. 100\nDeath--\"The Doorway\" ............................  67\nDestruction--\"The Open Saloon Door\" ............. 103\nDevotion--\"Johnnie Appleseed\" ................... 121\nDiligence--\"The Blessedness of Work\" ............  64\nDiscouragement--\"True Success\" ..................  37\nDissipation--\"Young Men, Ahoy!\" ................. 154\nError--\"Two Men\" ................................ 184\nEvil Habits--\"The Cigarette Face\" ...............  82\nFaith--\"Christopher Columbus\" ...................  85\nFortitude--\"A Firm Foundation\" ..................  61\nFruitlessness--\"Bring Forth Fruit\" .............. 151\nGiving--\"The Christ-Child\" ......................  43\nGladness--\"Turn Over a New Leaf\" ................  34\nGod's Love--\"The Puzzle Picture\" ................  70\nGossip--\"The Brook\" ............................. 127\nHaste--\"The Simple Life\" ........................ 106\nHelpfulness--\"Reflecting Our Blessings\" ......... 115\nHome Training--\"Mother\" .........................  94\nHonesty--\"The Hollow Tree\" ...................... 181\nHumility--\"The Fruits of Riches\" ................  40\nIdeals--\"Two Men\" ............................... 184\nIndustry--\"A Busy Life\" .........................  28\nKind Words--\"The Man Who Finally Heard\" ......... 172\nLabor--\"The Blessedness of Work\" ................  64\nLight--\"The Mountain Climber\" ................... 100\nLove--\"Hidden Sunshine\" ......................... 118\nMeditation--\"The Thief of Character\" ............  88\nNarrowness--\"A Strange Old Epitaph\" ............. 202\nNature--\"The Puzzle Picture\" ....................  70\nNeedy, The--\"The Christmas Stockings\" ...........  22\nObstacles--\"Tree Surgery\" ....................... 187\nOptimism--\"The Two Faces\" .......................  19\nPatience--\"The Burned Book\" ..................... 169\nPatriotism--\"Our Country's Flag\" ................ 163\nPerfection--\"The Perfect Life\" .................. 148\nPerseverance--\"Flying\" .......................... 175\nPluck and Luck--\"A Busy Life\" ...................  28\nPoliteness--\"The Story of a Hat\" ................ 160\nPrayer--\"Christopher Columbus\" ..................  85\nPurity--\"The Keg and the Bucket\" ................  31\nQuietness--\"The Simple Life\" .................... 106\nReaping--\"Seedtime and Harvest\" .................  46\nRepentance--\"The Cross\" .........................  52\nRest--\"Warmth and Coldness\" ..................... 109\nResurrection--\"Easter Lilies\" ...................  55\nSalvation--\"The Cross\" ..........................  52\nSeeing--\"Helen Keller\" .......................... 196\nService--\"Jennie Casseday\" ......................  91\nSin--\"The Deceitfulness of Sin\" ................. 130\nSincerity--\"The Mask\" ........................... 133\nSlavery--\"The Evolution of the Jug\" .............  79\nSmiles--\"A Merry Heart\" ......................... 139\nSobriety--\"The Heart of the Trouble\" ............  73\nSowing--\"Seedtime and Harvest\" ..................  46\nSteadfastness--\"The Wounded Tree\" ...............  58\nSuccess--\"What is Best?\" ........................ 142\nSunday--\"Warmth and Coldness\" ................... 109\nTeaching--\"The Little Ones\" ..................... 166\nTemptation--\"The Cigarette Face\" ................  82\nTestimony--\"Reflecting Our Blessings\" ........... 115\nThoughts, Our--\"The Two Faces\" ..................  19\nTongue, The--\"The Man Who Finally Heard\" ........ 172\nTraining--\"The Plum Tree\" ....................... 178\nTrust--\"Washington's Strength\" .................. 136\nTruth--\"The Mask\" ............................... 133\nUnity--\"Public Sentiment\" ....................... 124\nVanity--\"The Story of a Kite\" ................... 199\nWar--\"The Two Flags\" ............................  49\nWatchfulness--\"New Year's Resolutions\" ..........  97\nWealth--\"The Fruits of Riches\" ..................  40\nWords, Our--\"The Brook\" ......................... 127\nWork--\"What is Best?\" ........................... 142","title":"Crayon and Character: Truth Made Clear Through Eye and Ear: Or, Ten-Minute Talks with Colored Chalks","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":57501}