Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

13. Jemmy instantly returned the compliment, and a regular snow battle commenced. But Bell happening to come across a heap of snow balls which some boys had made in the morning, threw them so fast, that the little boy was forced to stop, and give all his attention to defend his face. Look at the picture, and see how Bell is abusing the poor boy.

14. Poor Jemmy was soon exhausted with the shower of balls that now fell fast and thick upon him. He fell down helpless in the snow.

15. At that moment Frank Taylor, a boy about the size of Bell, happened to pass. He took hold of Jemmy's hand, and, helping him up, asked Bell if he was not ashamed to

act so.

16. Bell sneaked off, saying, "It's none of your business."

17. "Are you much hurt, my little man?" said Frank.

66

18. Not very much," said Jemmy. But his face showed too plainly the marks of Bell's cruelty. His nose was swelled, and his eyes were bloodshot.

19. Frank now asked Jemmy how the affair began; and the little fellow repeated to him all that I have told you.

20. Frank felt vexed and ashamed that his school-fellow should have behaved so badly. But he assured the little boy that he was going to school the next day, and

would take care that he should never be treated so again.

21. Next morning Frank asked Jemmy not to tell the teacher or the boys how he had been treated by Bell. If he would wait till noon, he said, he would endeavor to see him righted. Accordingly, as soon as the teacher left the school-house, Frank told the whole school how Bell had behaved the day before, and asked them if they would allow a little boy, a stranger, who had never injured any of them, to be used so. 22. Bell hung his head, and all the rest cried out, "No, no, no."

23. Fisk and some of the others then came up, and told Jemmy how sorry they were that they had tried to vex him. The little fellow shook hands with them heartily, and assured them that he harbored no malice.

24. From this moment Jemmy became a universal favorite, and was one of the foremost in all their games and plays.

Describe the picture, naming the boys. Repeat the substance of the story, and explain the phrases in which the following words occur: T6, mortified at the ridicule; 10, taunts, summoned; 13, returned the compliment, de fend; 14, exhausted; 23, harbored no malice; 24, uni versal favorite.

Was it right or wrong to laugh at the reading of the Irish boy? Would you like to be treated so in a strange place, or not? Can you repeat our Savior's rule about doing as we would be done by? Matt. vii. 12. Was it right or wrong to tease the little boy about his country? about his clothes? Did Bell act right or wrong in his

way home? Did Frank behave right or wrong? Who acted like a neighbor to the Irish boy? Which boy would you rather have for a companion, Frank Taylor, or William Bell? Which do you think would be the happiest boy? Which do you think was best for Frank to do, complain to the teacher, or appeal to the boys? Which of the boys practised the law of love best? What is the law? Luke x. 27.

LESSON XI.

Scandal and Charity.

1. FANNY WILCOX was generally a kind and good-tempered girl. She was industrious, too, and very attentive to her studies.

2. But Fanny had one very great fault. She was continually thinking ill, and speaking ill of her friends and acquaintances.

3. Fanny took no notice of any thing. good that she saw; but she would dwell on any thing that looked like evil in her friends, and repeat it to all her acquaintances.

4. Fanny would often consider the most trifling actions as serious faults; and a single word spoken in fun would frequently make her suspect something was wrong, and then she would run and tell it as a fact to the first friend she met. She was even sometimes so wicked as to add things that were entirely untrue, to make her stories more likely.

5. The moment that Fanny heard bad news

about any one, she became uneasy and restless. She could not be still till she had been all round the neighborhood to repeat the story.

6. You may easily imagine what mischief would be done by such conduct as this. She set one family against another by her talking; and, even in the same family, she set wives against husbands, and brothers and sisters against each other. Wherever Fanny Wilcox visited, there would be sure to be trouble.

7. At last people shut their doors against her, and would not allow their children to visit her. Her cousin, Mary Smith, who was several years older than Fanny, was the only friend who had not deserted her.

8. One day Fanny called to see Mary, and spent an hour or two in telling spiteful tales of all their friends, though she knew how much Mary disliked to hear them. But it was all the same to her.

9. "And now," said Fanny, "it's your turn to tell me something. I'm sure you visit enough to have plenty of stories.'

[ocr errors]

10. "My dear Fanny," said Mary, "when I visit my friends, I am not so foolish as to destroy all my pleasure by watching their faults. I wish to make them happy, and to be happy myself. No, I would much rather observe their good qualities, so that I might imitate and acquire them. We ought to be faultless ourselves, before we become nice

in observing the faults of others. Besides, don't you know, that it is in scandal as in robbery, 'the receiver is as bad as the thief;' for, if no one would listen to such stories, there would be no scandalous reports."

11. Poor Fanny had long before this begun to observe, that every body disliked her. She therefore felt strongly the truth of her cousin's words. She began to see how wicked she had been; to tremble at the recollection of the mischief she had caused, and to determine to do so no more.

12. But oh! how difficult it is to break a habit that we have long indulged in! Poor Fanny had to struggle for a long time with her inclination for scandal. But at last she became so completely reformed, as to notice hardly any thing in her friends but what was excellent and deserving of praise. And, when she could not put things in a favorable light she would say, It is possible that I do not know every thing about it. There may have been good motives that I am not acquainted with.

13. When Fanny heard of any fault that could not be thus excused, she would pity the offending person, and impute her fault to too great hurry, or ignorance of the mischief she was committing.

14. It was a long, long time, however, before Fanny could regain the friends she had lost. People had avoided her company

« VorigeDoorgaan »