APRIL: HELPFULNESS TO THE

OLD AND FEEBLE

For the Teacher:

WAITING 1

JOHN BURROUGHS

Serene, I fold my hands and wait,
Nor care for wind, nor tide, nor sea;
I rave no more 'gainst Time or Fate,
For lo! my own shall come to me.

I stay my haste, I make delays,
For what avails this eager pace?
I stand amid the eternal ways,
And what is mine shall know my face.

What matter if I stand alone?

I wait with joy the coming years;
My heart shall reap where it has sown,
And gather up its fruit of tears.

The
The stars come nightly to the sky;

The tidal wave comes to the sea;
Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high,
Can keep my own away from me.

Suggestions for morning talks

The faithful teacher can perform no loftier service as a good citizen than to teach the American child respect for the aged, and help him to embody that respect in deeds of helpfulness. Our national worship of

1 From The Light of Day. Houghton Mifflin Co.

the fetish Efficiency underlies the national callousness to and neglect of reverence for old age. We cannot begin with the child too early, nor emphasize this principle too strongly.

Nothing shows a nobler spirit in a child than helpfulness to the aged.

The old and feeble ought to be held in special kindness by all.

We should speak to them with gentleness, always anticipating their wishes.

The most comfortable chair, and the pleasantest place in the room belong to the aged one.

Their eyes are dim after many years of patient seeing for

our good. We can find their glasses and tell them all the pleasant things our eyes have seen during the day. Their feet are tired after long years of journeying for us. We can run on errands for them now.

Their hands tremble because they have worked so long for us. Our strong young hands must find something to do for them every day.

Read: "The Peach Tree," by Christina G. Rossetti, in her Poems for Children, selected by M. Hix, Educational Publishing Company.

SOMEBODY'S MOTHER

ANONYMOUS

The woman was old, and feeble, and gray;
And bent with the chill of the winter's day;
The street was wet with a heavy snow,
And the woman's feet were aged and slow.

She stood at the crossing, and waited long,
Alone, uncared for, amid the throng
Of human beings who passed her by,
Nor heeded the glance of her anxious eye.
Down the street, with laughter and shout,
Glad in the freedom of "school let out,"
Came the boys, like a flock of sheep,
Hailing the snow piled white and deep.
Past the woman so old and gray,
Hastened the children on their way;
Nor offered a helping hand to her,
So meek, so timid, afraid to stir,

Lest the carriage wheels or the horses' feet
Should crowd her down in the slippery street.

At last came one of the merry troop,
The gayest laddie of all the group;
He paused beside her, and whispered low,
"I'll help you across if you wish to go."
Her aged hand on his strong young arm
She placed, and so, without hurt or harm,
He guided her trembling feet along,
Proud that his own were firm and strong.
Then back again to his friends he went,
His young heart happy and well content.
"She's somebody's mother, boys, you know,
For all she 's old, and poor, and slow;
And I hope some fellow will lend a hand,
To help my mother, you understand,
If ever she 's poor and old and gray,
When her own dear boy is far away."

And "somebody's mother" bowed low her head
In her home that night, and the prayer she said,
Was, "God, be kind to that noble boy,

Who is somebody's son, and pride, and joy."

GRANNY'S BLACKIE 1

Once upon a time a rich man gave a baby Elephant to a woman. She took the best of care of this great baby, and soon became very fond of him. The children in the village called her Granny, and they called the Elephant "Granny's Blackie."

The Elephant carried the children on his back all over the village. They shared their goodies with him and he played with them.

"Please, Blackie, give us a swing," they said to him almost every day.

"Come on! Who is first?" Blackie answered and picked them up with his trunk, swung them high in the air, and put them down again, carefully.

But Blackie never did any work. He ate and slept, played with the children, and visited with Granny. One day Blackie wanted Granny to go off to the woods with him.

"I can't go, Blackie, dear. I have too much work to do." Then Blackie looked at her and saw that she was old and feeble. "I am young and strong," he thought. "I'll see if I can not find some work to do. If I could bring some money to her, she would not have to work so hard."

So next morning, bright and early, he started down to the river bank. There he found a man who was in great trouble. There was a long line of wagons so heavily loaded that the oxen could not draw them through the shallow water.

When the man saw Blackie standing on the bank he asked, "Who owns this Elephant? I want to hire him to help my oxen pull these wagons across the river.'

A child standing near by said, "That is Granny's Blackie."

"Very well," said the man, "I'll pay two pieces of

1 Adapted from Jataka Tales, Ellen C. Babbitt. Century Co.

silver for each wagon this Elephant draws across the river."

Blackie was glad to hear this promise. He went into the river, and drew one wagon after another across to the other side.... Then the man put the silver in a bag tied around Blackie's neck. Blackie started for home, proud to think that he had a present for Granny.

The children had missed Blackie and had asked Granny where he was, but she said she did not know where he had gone. They all looked for him, but it was nearly night before they heard him coming.

"Where have you been, Blackie? and what is that around your neck?" the children cried, running to meet their playmate. But Blackie would not stop to talk with his playmates. He ran straight home to Granny.

"Oh, Blackie!" she said, "where have you been? What is in that bag?" And she took the bag off his neck.

Blackie told her that he had earned some money for her. "Oh, Blackie, Blackie," said Granny, "how hard you must have worked to earn these pieces of silver! What a good Blackie you are!"

And after that Blackie did all the hard work and Granny rested, and they were both very happy.

MAY: PEACE AMONG THE

CHILDREN

For the Teacher:

A LOST FRIEND 1

JOHN BOYLE O'REILLY

I gave him love for love; but, deep within,
I magnified each frailty into sin;

1 From Life of John Boyle O'Reilly, with his complete poems. Cassell Publishing Co