Part 10
"Shake hands with the ladies, Reggie," said his mother; but Reggie refused, and hid his face in her dress. She explained that he was shy, and went on coaxing him to come and speak to us. After a great deal of talking and persuading, he consented to come and shake hands, =if= his mother would come with him. So she brought him across the room, and held out his hand, just as you hold out the arm of your doll, when you play at shaking hands with her.
Would =you= make all that fuss and trouble about shaking hands with any one? I hope not. It is so silly, as well as ill-mannered.
After this Reggie sat down in a little chair, and tried to put his feet up on a small table that was near--but you will not care to hear about such a badly-behaved little boy. And it was not very long before his mother had to take him from the room screaming, he was so tiresome and naughty.
If Reggie had tried to please his mother and her visitors, instead of his little =self=, everybody would have been much happier, and I am sure =he= would, for selfish people cannot be happy.
Think =first= of others, =last= of self, Be friendly, kindly all around; Shake hands with strangers, be polite, Unselfish, sweet be always found.
LXVI. KNOCKING BEFORE ENTERING A ROOM.
118. The Boy who Forgot.
A lady was sitting in a cottage one morning talking to the person who lived there, when suddenly, and without any warning knock, or even a little tap, some one lifted the latch noisily, and pushing the door wide open, burst into the room, asking, "What time is it?"
The lady looked up to see who the rude intruder could be, and beheld a little, rosy-faced boy. She called him to her, and placing her hand on his shoulder said kindly: "My little fellow, do you not know that you should =knock= at a door before entering, and should say, '=Please=, will you tell me the time?'" The boy hung his head and looked ashamed, but we hope he remembered what the lady said to him, and I hope also that none of you ever forget to
(Blackboard)
Knock at the Door before Entering a Room.
LXVII. HANGING HATS UP, ETC.
119. Careless Percy.
You did not admire the boy (Story Lesson No. 98) who threw his bag here, his cap there, and his coat somewhere else, did you? neither will you be likely to admire the little boy in this story.
But come with me--I will take you into the bedroom of a boy named Percy, who has gone to a party. I am afraid you can scarcely get inside though, for everything he has taken off is lying on the floor. His coat is flung behind the door, his collar lies inside the fender, and his trousers are beside the bed. He has been playing on the bed, you see, for it is all tossed, and one of the pillows has tumbled on the floor.
Let as take a peep into the nursery, where Percy's play-things are. There is a railway train on the floor, just as he has been playing with it; and beyond the train, where he had made a huge castle with all the bricks he could find, the floor is all strewn over with bricks from the castle, which has tumbled down.
Who will pick up all these things, and tidy the two rooms that Percy has left in such a dreadful state? His mother, maybe, who has so many other things to do. Would =you= leave all your clothes scattered on the floor for some one else to pick up, instead of folding them neatly yourself? or would you like another to have the trouble of putting away all your toys? No, I am sure you would not. None of us want to be selfish, but if Percy does not mind, =he= will grow up selfish, because he is not taking thought for others.
Hang up your cap and coat, And put away your toys, Save mother all the work you can, Dear little girls and boys.
The recitation, "Two Little Maids" (_New Recitations for Infants_) would follow this Story Lesson appropriately.
LXVIII. HOW TO OFFER SWEETS, ETC.
120. How Baby Did it.
Some one had brought baby a parcel of sweets. They were rather sticky, but baby did not mind that when the colours were so pretty! There were pink, blue, red and yellow sweets, and she was greatly pleased with them. Baby was very kind and unselfish, so she wanted us all to share her sweets, and picking one out with her little chubby fingers, (which were not any too clean), she offered it to mamma. You see baby was very tiny, and had not yet learnt that sweets should always be offered in the paper or box, and not be touched by the fingers at all. But mamma explained this to her, and then baby lifted up the paper, and trotted round to everybody, holding it out, and saying, "Please, take one".
Fruit and nuts should be offered in a plate or dish. It is not nice to touch with our fingers anything that we are offering to others.
(Blackboard.)
Always offer Sweets in the Paper or Box.
LXIX. YAWNING, COUGHING, AND SNEEZING.
121.
I daresay you have sometime been in a room where a person was sleepy, and kept yawning continually. You know that by-and-by you begin to do the same yourself, and it is very disagreeable. A good plan is to run out of the room and bathe your face in cold water: that will soon make you feel bright again. It is not nice to yawn, because it makes other people feel sleepy, and we should never forget to cover the mouth with the hand: it is very rude to open the mouth wide, and not to put the hand in front of it.
In coughing and sneezing, people should make as little noise as they possibly can. Sometimes we hear coughing in church, and the minister can scarcely speak for the noise. A pocket-handkerchief will soften the sound a good deal, both in coughing and sneezing.
These are only little things, but they can make others feel uncomfortable, and you remember we said that it was rude to do =anything= that caused people to be uncomfortable (p. 110), so do not forget to
(Blackboard)
Cover the Mouth when Yawning; Make as Little Noise as Possible when Coughing or Sneezing.
LXX. HOW A SLATE SHOULD NOT BE CLEANED.
122.
You will have noticed that there is always moisture in your mouth. Where do you think it comes from? Perhaps you did not know that there were six tiny fountains in your mouth, two on each side the tongue, and one in each cheek. When you are well these little fountains pour out the fluid which keeps your mouth so nice and moist. Sometimes when people are ill the little fountains do not flow, and the mouth is all dry and parched, and they are longing to drink all the time.
The fluid that comes from the tiny wells is called saliva, and, when we eat, it mixes with the food in the mouth, and goes down with it into the stomach. But this is what I want you to learn, the saliva is never to be sent out of the mouth in the way that is called "spitting" (an ugly word, is it not?), and you must remember never to do this, not even when you are cleaning your slate. You may breathe on your slate, and rub it dry with your slate rag, though that is not a very nice way. The best plan of all is to have a damp sponge, as well as a slate rag, and a well-mannered child would have both.
If there is anything in your mouth that needs to come away, take it out with your pocket-handkerchief, and remember that the proper way is to
(Blackboard)
Clean your Slate with a Damp Sponge, and Dry with a Slate Rag, not with a Pocket-handkerchief.
LXXI. THE POCKET-HANDKERCHIEF.
123. Guessing Rhyme.[21]
You have me in your pocket, I'm square and white, 'tis true, And many things I'm used for By children such as you.
(Let children guess answer.--Pocket-handkerchief.)
There is moisture in the nose as well as in the mouth, and we keep a handkerchief in our pocket to take the moisture away, when it makes us uncomfortable. A nice, clean child will never be without a pocket-handkerchief, and he will use it =without having to be told=.
In using a pocket-handkerchief, as in coughing and sneezing, we should make as little noise as possible, and we should try not to have to use it at table. If it is necessary to do so, we must turn our head away, as we should do if we were obliged to cough or sneeze.
(Blackboard.)
Use Pocket-handkerchief Without Being Told, Making as Little Noise as Possible.
FOOTNOTE:
[21] _Games Without Music_, No. 55.
LXXII. HOW TO BEHAVE AT TABLE.
(ON SITTING STILL AT TABLE.)
124. Phil's Disaster.
Phil was a little boy, and sat on a high chair at the table. He was very fond of tilting his chair backwards and forwards, which was not well-mannered, you will say. One dinner time, just as all the dishes had been placed on the table, and Phil was tilting back as far as ever he could, it happened that the chair lost its balance, and fell over backwards, taking Phil with it; and as he grasped the tablecloth in falling, he drew it with all the dishes on the top of him. Many of the dishes were broken, and the dinner was all scattered and spoilt. Surely Phil would never tilt his chair again.
125. Fidgety Katie.
Have you ever sat at table with a child who was never still? Such a child was Katie! Instead of waiting quietly until every one was served, she would fidget about on her chair, put her little fat arms on the table (which you know is a very rude thing to do), and move from side to side all the time. When at last she was served, her dinner would be quickly eaten, and then she was impatient to be gone, and kept asking mother if she might not leave the table, and go to her book or her play.
Now if Katie had thought a little of others, she would not have made everybody uncomfortable by being so restless. When she was waiting to be served, and when she had finished, she should have sat quietly with her hands in her lap. These two stories teach us that
(Blackboard)
We must Sit Still at Table.
(THINKING OF OTHERS AT TABLE.)
126. The Helpful Little Girl.
A very different child from restless Katie (Story Lesson 125) was Hilda, whose mother had died, and left her little ones to the care of auntie. When the dinner-bell rang, Hilda would run into the room, and see that all the chairs were in their places round the table, especially baby's, for he was much too little to bring his own chair. It was Hilda who lifted baby into his place, and tied on his "feeder"; and when his plate was passed, she prepared his food, and took care that it was not too hot for him.
Hilda's bright eyes were always ready to see anything that was needed: "Shall I pass you the salt, grandpapa?" "May I give you a little water, auntie?" No wonder auntie said that Hilda was just like sunshine in the house, and the reason was that she thought so little of herself, and so much of those around her. Let us try to be like Hilda; she was much happier, I am sure, than restless Katie, for there is nothing nicer than to bring sunshine into the lives of others, and this we do by being helpful.
(Blackboard.)
Think of Others when you are at Table; Pass Things and Help all you can.
(UPSETTING THINGS AT TABLE.)
127. Leslie and the Christmas Dinner
We heard of people who were clumsy in another Story Lesson (No. 102), and I am afraid Leslie was a little like them.
It was Christmas Day, and there was a large family party at grandmamma's, to which Leslie and his mother were invited. The dinner-table looked beautiful with its snow-white cloth and shining silver, and its decorations of Christmas roses and red-berried holly.
The dinner-bell rang, and the guests took their places at the table. Leslie bounced into the room, and was sitting down on the last chair, all in a hurry, when he somehow caught the tablecloth, and by dragging it upset the gravy, and sent it streaming all over the nice, clean cloth. Leslie was very sorry, and his mother was so uncomfortable at the thought of his clumsiness, that I am afraid the dinner was spoilt for =her=. From Leslie we learn to
(Blackboard)
Sit Down Carefully, so as not to Upset Anything.
128. Cherry Stones.
If you were eating plum tart or cherry pudding, how should you manage with the stones? (Let children try to answer.) When a little bird eats a cherry, he drops the stone on the ground; the bird has no spoon and fork to eat with, so that is the best thing he can do.
One day a boy, named Kenneth, was invited out to dinner, and one of the dishes was cherry tart. There was a custard pudding as well, but Kenneth thought he would like cherry tart better, and he did not remember that the stones might be a difficulty until he began to eat it. He felt sure that it was not right to drop them out of his mouth on to the plate, and he could not think what else to do. He looked round the table, but no one else was taking cherry tart, or he might have noticed what another person did. At last he determined that he would keep all the cherry stones in his cheek until dinner was over, and put them out afterwards, when no one was looking. But presently some one told a funny little story, and, as Kenneth could not help laughing with the rest, out came the cherry stones, to his great dismay.
The best way is to separate the stone from the cherry on your plate with the spoon and fork, but if you cannot manage this, take the stone from your mouth with the spoon, and put it gently on the edge of the plate. Everybody has to learn these things, and as no one had happened to tell Kenneth, of course he did not know.
LXXIII. ON EATING AND DRINKING.
129.
Key E.
{:s |d :m |m :m |l :r |r } 1. I must not fill my mouth too full,
{:r |f :r |s :r |m :-- |-- } Nor ver - y quick - ly eat,
{:m |r :f |m :s |f :l |s } But take a small piece, chew it well,
{:l |s :m |s :r |d :-- |-- } And fin - ish all my meat.
2. Food should be carried to my mouth Upon the fork, I see; The knife is used to cut, and ought Not near the lips to be.
3. When pudding comes, the =point= of spoon Within the mouth may go, But soup or broth is taken from The =side= of it you know.
4. Without a noise I eat and drink, I must not spill my food, Nor scald my mouth, nor make complaint, "This is not nice, not good".
130.
Key E.
{|m :-- |m :m |f :f |f :-- } 1. Small bites of bread we take,
{|r :-- |r :r |m :s |s :-- } And chew it well be - fore
{|l :-- |d :l |s :m |m :-- } We drink our tea or milk;
{|m :-- |r :l |s :s |s :-- } We must not ask for more
{|f :-- |r :l |s :m |s :-- } Un - til we've finished quite,
{|m :-- |r :m |d :d |d :-- } For that would not be right.
2. If handkerchiefs we use, Or sneeze or cough, we try, When seated at our food, To do it quietly; And don't forget, I pray, To turn your head away.
3. When we have finished, then The knife and fork should lie Together on our plate, And hands rest quietly Within the lap,[22] this wise, Until mamma shall rise.
(Explain that children should not leave table until mother has done so, unless she gives them permission.)
FOOTNOTE:
[22] Fold hands in lap.
LXXIV. FINALE.
131. How another Queen Builded.
A great many years ago, a little girl played in a garden in London. Her father was dead, but she had a dear, good mother, who taught her to build for herself a good and beautiful character, for the mother knew that this would be a better thing for the little girl to have than gold or diamonds, because as the Fairy Queen told us, it =lasts for ever=.
As time went on the little girl grew up, and became a great queen. She has been a queen now for more than sixty years, and I do not think there ever was so good a queen, and we are sure there never was one so dearly loved. The queen has a beautiful gold crown, and beautiful castles and palaces to live in, but these are not the things she values most. Best of all, she has all those lovely jewels in her character that we have been speaking about, with "Truth" for the foundation, and it is all woven round with the pure gold of "Kindness"; these are the jewels that are more precious to the great queen than crowns and costly stones.
Do you know the name of this queen? It is our own Queen Victoria.
Why do we love her so much? Not because she is a queen, simply, for queens have sometimes been wicked, but because she is good, and true, and kind, and these jewels make up the something that we call "character," which when built like this is more beautiful than the Fairies' Temple.
And just think of it: =every= little boy and girl may build up a good, true character, which is the most precious thing you can have.
The Story Lessons in this book have been written to help each one of =you= who hear them to build up this beautiful Temple of Character.
The queen believes that a =good= "character" is the best thing in the world, and I want you all to think so too.
A man who was put in prison for preaching wrote a beautiful book,[23] which you will read when you are older, and in it there is this story.
The story tells of a man who spent all his time raking up rubbish on the floor to find gold and other things, and =never once looked up=. But all the time there was an angel standing behind him with a beautiful crown in her hand, which she wanted the man to have, but he never saw it.
That is like the people who think of nothing but =self=, instead of "looking up" and thinking of the beautiful "stones" that build up the "Temple," which is such a good thing to have, just as the crown was, which the man did not see. Let us look up and see all that is beautiful and good, so that we may become like God who made all these things.
FOOTNOTE:
[23] _Pilgrim's Progress._
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
Page xiii, "Another" changed to "another" (How another Queen)
Page 41, word "on" added to text (mother had gone on)
Page 59, "Thoughful" changed to "Thoughtful" ("A lovely idea," said "Thoughtful")
Page 107, "out" changed to "own" (own accord)