Our Best Friend

In a log cabin in the mountains lived a little boy. He often played near the house, but did not go far away. Near the house were many trees and rocks and among these wild animals stayed.

DOWN BY THE SPRING

One day the boy missed his mama and thought he would try to find her. He went down the path toward the spring, where he had often gone after water. He went on and on. Finally he wished to return, but did not know the way. Poor boy, he was lost.

THE BEST FRIEND WE HAVE IS MOTHER

He started toward what he thought was home, and walked and walked. Becoming very tired, he sat down to rest and soon fell asleep.

His mama missed her boy and hunted everywhere for him. Night came on, but she did not give up her search. She hunted and called, but no answer came. She feared the wild beasts would get him, but prayed to God to protect her child. She hunted all night and in the morning found him safe and still asleep.

The best friend we have on earth is a good mother. She thinks of her children at all times. She loves them and lives for them. She seems to know all about our little cares and trials. When we are willing to help her, it shows that we think of her and love her, too.

Have you ever thought how she toils and cares for you? She works for you every day--gets your meals, breakfast, dinner, and supper; washes and mends your clothes and stockings; and at night makes your pillow nice and soft for you so you can sleep well.

She seems to know just what to do if we happen to get hurt.

A MOTHER LIVES FOR HER CHILDREN

Mother is watching after her little ones all the day long, and when she puts her hand upon our heads at night as we bow at her knee in prayer, she seems to say, "God bless and keep my darling child." When she tucks the covers tight about us and sits by our bedside, we think that Mama is the best friend we have. Don't we?

Now I will tell you of another friend. This friend lives in heaven. His name is God. We can not see God, but he looks down from heaven and sees us. He sees everything we do, and hears everything we say. He knows all things.

It was God who made this earth where we live, and everything that has life. We pray to God, and he hears us and answers our prayers.



Now I lay me down to sleep;
I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep.
Thy love be with me through the night,
And bless me with the morning light.

What God Made

Our God is a very great God. He made all things. He made this earth where we now live.

It seems strange that there was a time, many, many years ago, when this earth was nowhere to be found; but that is so.

When men make things, they must have tools to work with. They have to make things little by little, working at them a long time before they are done.

It was not so with God when he made this earth. "He spake, and it was done." At first all was dark. He then said, "Let there be light," and it was light. He called the light day, and the darkness he called night. This, the Good Book says, took place on the first day.

On the second day God made the air we breathe, and in which the birds fly.

On the third day he made the land, sea, and rivers, and the grass, flowers, and trees.

On the fourth day he made the sun, moon, and stars, to give light to the earth by day and night.



On the fifth day he made the fish that swim in the water and the birds that fly in the air.

On the sixth day he made all the animals, and at last he made man. He gave them for food the grain of the fields, the fruits of the trees, and the vegetables of the garden.

On the seventh day God rested "from all the work which he had made." "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good."

Our Heavenly Home

The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad

God loves men too well to leave them in sin and sorrow. And though we have sinned, he will forgive us if we are sorry for our sins and ask his pardon. He will give us good thoughts, and help us to love him and to love one another.

We shall all die, but we shall live again; and if we serve God in this life and are Christians, we shall live with him in heaven. There we shall never sin and never die. We shall never be sick or sad; we shall be happy forever. There we shall see God. Jesus will be there, and so will all the good people who have ever lived.

God saw that the people he had made were doing wrong, and he had pity on the whole world of sinners. So he sent his only Son to this earth as the Savior of the world. You will find somewhere in this book how God's Son came to this world.

The Rain and the Snow

Patter, little drops of rain,
Patter on the window-pane.
How I love to watch them pass
In their races down the glass!
Soon the shower will be o'er,
Then the sun will shine once more.
But I love to hear the rain
Beat against the window-pane.
Soft and gentle April showers
Will bring May-time's pretty flowers.

I think it is pleasant to sit by the window and watch the rain as it falls, sometimes in tiny drops and sometimes in large ones.

The warm showers make the grass, trees, and flowers grow. After the shower is over, the grass looks fresh and green.

The birds also seem to be glad for the rain. They chirp among the trees when the shower is over.

We see the pretty clouds in the sky. The wind moves them about. Sometimes a storm comes, and then we see the lightning and hear the thunder.

PLAYING IN THE LEAVES

When winter-time comes, it gets cold, and the ground is all covered with pure-white crystals of snow. Everything looks so clean and pretty with its white coat on. We see the little snowbirds flying around, and they are so happy picking up seeds for food.

Then we love to get on our mittens and warm coats, and go out in the snow, too. People hitch horses to sleighs and enjoy rides. They put bells on the horses, and these jingle merrily when the horses go fast.



In the far north it gets very cold, and when the people go anywhere, they hitch dogs to sleds.

In the Bible we read that the Lord will make our hearts white as snow if we confess our sins and take him for our Savior.



Beautiful snow, so soft and so white,
Sparkling like gems in the sunshine bright,
Robing the earth and decking the trees,
Sent by the Lord, the children to please.

Planting Seeds

Birds are singing, clear and sweet;
Flowers are springing neath our feet;
Spring at last has come to stay.
How we welcome lovely May!
Lovely May,
O lovely May!
Oh, how glad we are to say,
Lovely May!

Winter days were cold and long,
But we waited for thy song--
Songs of birds and humming bees,
And the fresh and lovely breeze.
Lovely May,
O lovely May!
Oh, how glad we are today,
Lovely May!

You may have helped your papa or mama plant seeds in the garden or in the flowerbed. The warm sun and the rain make them grow rapidly.

We do not plant weed-seeds, but in some way they get into the ground, and come up along with the garden-plants. If the weeds are not cut out, they will crowd out the good plants.

AN ACT OF KINDNESS

When we do little acts of kindness, it is like planting good seed. When we are not kind, and say bad words, it is like letting the weeds crowd out the good plants.

If you are good and kind to papa and mama, brother or sister, today, you will find it easy to be kind to them tomorrow. It makes you happy to be good to those around you.

If you are cross and say bad words, you may want to say them again. You can not feel happy when you have said and done bad things.

God can help you sow good seed. He will help you to be good. He will help you to love all around you.

A Walk in the Woods

Have you ever taken a walk through the woods by the brook on a warm day? How cool and pleasant the water looked as it ran along over the rocks! Did it not make a pleasing sound?



It is delightful to go through the woods where you can see the beautiful trees. You can nearly always find some flowers growing along the edge of the brook. Besides, the little birds fly among the trees and sing so sweetly. Almost any child would enjoy a walk through the woods. But there are many children in large cities who never have the pleasure of going to the woods.



How pleasant it is to sit down in a cool, shady place, and think of the lovely things that God has given us to enjoy. As we look around us, we can see so many blessings that God has given us.



Even the little birds and flowers seem to be telling us that Jesus loves us. God has made many beautiful things for us to enjoy. It makes us happy to see the beautiful flowers, and to hear the little birds sing so sweetly.

A Bird of the Night

Did you ever see an owl? Owls fly around at night, as they can see better after dark than in the daytime. They stay in some dark and quiet spot all day, unless disturbed, but at night they hunt around for something to eat. They eat some kinds of birds, rats, mice, fish, reptiles, and insects.

The nest of the owl is made of sticks and twigs, and is oftentimes built in rocks or ruins or old houses. Some owls are as white as snow, and their feathers are as soft as cotton. Some are brown, and others are gray.

Sometimes in the night we hear their noise, which sounds much as if they were saying, "Who? who? who?"

The owl can not turn his eyes about as we can; so when he wants to look around, he must turn his head.

In the cold countries where snow stays upon the ground most of the time, there are owls with pure-white feathers. They are very large, too; yet they can hardly be seen, since they look so much like the snow.



GEESE

THE QUAIL

Wee Pretty Kitty

"Wee pretty kitty,
With nothing to do,
Only to take
Little naps in a shoe.
You look very nice
While lying in there,
With never a thought
Of sorrow or care.
Yet I am so glad
That I am not you,
For I can love Jesus,
Which you can not do."

Our Tame Animals

There are some kinds of animals that are tame, as the sheep, hog, cow, horse, dog, and cat.



The horse is a faithful beast and does much work for man. He draws the heavy loads on the road and works in the fields. We hitch him to a wagon or a carriage and enjoy a ride, or we can put a saddle upon his back and ride there also.

The cow gives us milk for our food, and from the milk we get cream, butter, and cheese.

The flesh of the hog is valuable for food.

The dogs are useful to guard our homes, and cats catch mice and rats. Both dogs and cats make good pets.

Sheep have long wool all over their bodies, and men cut it off and use it to make clothes to keep us warm.

Young sheep are called lambs. They like to run and play very much. In the picture we see a lamb that has fallen into the water. The mother sheep stands close by and watches the man trying to pull the lamb out.

I suppose the man had missed these two from the flock. He was in search of the lost ones, and seeing the mother standing near the water, he came and found the lamb nearly drowned. The mother would not leave her babe, but waited a long time until help came.



Lambs are innocent-looking animals, and do not make a noise when hurt. Jesus said that children are his lambs.

The Squirrels

When the frosts have colored the leaves of the trees of the woods with many hues, and the nuts have ripened and fallen to the ground, it is then that the squirrels gather a good supply of the different kinds of nuts and acorns into their little homes in the hollow trees, to be eaten during the many long days of winter.

Have you ever seen a squirrel? They love to play in the woods, and run among the branches of the trees, and jump from one limb to another.

God made the squirrels to enjoy the woods, and he has provided the nuts for them to eat.

FEEDING THE SQUIRRELS

Jesus As a Child

God, who is in heaven, was full of pity for the unhappy people of earth. He loved them so much that he sent his Son to the earth in the form of a child, a baby in his mother's arms. He came to earth to show us how to obey God--how to live so as to do good in this life and be happy both in this life and in the life to come.

He came as a child, so as to show children how to live. He came like other children, and grew up as other children do, only better and wiser.

When God sent his Son to the earth, he gave him into the care of two good people who lived in a small town called Nazareth.

THE BOY CHRIST WITH THE WISE MEN

When Jesus came to them, they were in Bethlehem. They had gone there on a journey. There was no room for them in the inn; so they had to stay in a place made for cattle. God was not ashamed to place his Son in the care of poor people. He was not ashamed to have him born in a stable and cradled in a manger.

A bright star appeared over the place where the young child lay, and by this sign the wise men that came from the east seeking him were enabled to find him.

Parable of the Sower

Jesus taught many spiritual lessons by parables, that is, by stories about the common things people could understand.



One day as he sat by the sea of Galilee, he told the people the parable of the Sower. The sower cast some seed by the wayside, that is, along the edge of the field or road-side. Some seed fell upon stony ground, some among thorns, and some on good ground.

The people did not know what he meant till he explained the lesson to them.

The great sower is Jesus, but all Christians are sowers under him. The seed is the Word of God. People's hearts are the four kinds of soil.

Laborers in the Vineyard

Jesus told another parable, a story of the laborers in the vineyard. You can turn in your Testament to Matthew 20:1-16, and read about the man who hired laborers to work in his vineyard.



He had agreed to pay the laborers a penny a day. The men who worked all day thought they should receive more than those hired later in the day, but the master paid them all alike. Just so those of us who have been Christians only a short time will receive the same heavenly reward as those who have lived a Christian life for years. Salvation is just the same to all--it takes sin out of our hearts and fills them with the love of God.

We must not put off getting saved; for Jesus said, "Watch, for ye know not the hour when your Lord doth come." This means that we are liable to die without a warning, and we should always be ready.

The Wheat and the Tares

Christ told another parable. It was of a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while the servants slept, an enemy came and sowed tares, or weeds, and then went away so that the servants knew nothing of it.

When the wheat grew, the tares also grew. When the servants noticed the tares, they asked the owner what it meant, as they sowed only good seed. He answered that an enemy had sown the tares. But he said that they should let both grow till the harvest, and that then the tares would be gathered and burned, but the wheat gathered into the barn.



Jesus explained this: The field, he said, means the world; the owner means Jesus himself; the wheat means the persons who become Christians; the tares are sowed by Satan; and the weeds are wicked men.

The wicked men and Christians are together here in this world, but at the judgment-day the righteous will go to heaven and the wicked will be punished.

A Lesson on Forgiveness

The man kneeling in the picture owed the king hundreds and hundreds of dollars. He had no money to pay the king. The king said that this man and his wife and children must be sold and the money used to pay the debt. The man begged the king to wait a while, promising that by and by he would give him the money. The king then felt sorry for the poor man and said the man would not need to pay him any money. The man arose and walked away.

Soon he met a friend who owed him a little money. He spoke harshly to the friend and told him to pay the money. The friend did not have any money. He kneeled down before the man and said, "Wait a while, and by and by I will give you the money." But the man seemed to have forgotten that the king had been kind to him. He had the friend put in jail. When the king heard about this, he did not like it, and he punished the hard-hearted man.

We are like the man in the picture. We ask God to be good to us and forgive us when we do wrong. Then, maybe, we are not good to our little friends when they do wrong to us. If they do a bad thing to us, we want to pay them back. We should not do this way. Jesus said that if we would not forgive others, God would not forgive us. To forgive our friends means to be just as good to them when they do wrong to us as when they do good to us.

Jesus Heals the Sick

Jesus spent his whole life doing good. He always helped those who were in trouble. He seemed to know of the sick and suffering of the land and was always anxious to heal them.



At one time he went into the meeting-place of the Jews and saw a man there who had a hand so withered that he could not open it or stretch it out. Now, there was a Jewish law that said no work should be done on the Sabbath. The wicked people watched Jesus to see if he would heal this man on the Sabbath-day.

HEALING THE BLIND

Jesus knew their thoughts, and so he asked the people, "If any of you had a sheep which should fall into a pit on the Sabbath, would you not help it out?" Then he said that if it was right to help a sheep, it was much more so to be good to man.

After that he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand," and he stretched it out.

Jesus Changed

Many little boys and girls kneel down at mama's knee or by the bed in the evening and pray to God. Often Jesus went up on a high hill to pray. In the picture Jesus is on a hill-top. He went there to pray. He took three of his disciples with him. They were Peter, James, and John.



See the two men by the side of Jesus, and see how bright Jesus looks. The two men came from heaven to talk with Jesus. Peter, James, and John had never seen Jesus look so beautiful before. The Bible says that his face shone like the sun and that his clothes looked bright like snow when the sun shines upon it.

The three disciples heard God's voice. The voice said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." When they heard it, they fell on their faces, for they were afraid.

Soon the two men went away, and Jesus looked as he did before. He touched his disciples and told them not to be afraid.

Then they went down the hill. They found many people. They saw a poor boy who was sick, and Jesus made him well.

The Death of Jesus

Many were the good deeds done by Jesus while he was here on earth, and many people believed on him and followed him.



Some very wicked men did not like Jesus and abused him whenever they could. Just before they killed him, they put a crown of thorns on his head, and the sharp points pierced his brow and were very painful.

He was nailed to a large cross, and was left there until he died. Some good men buried him in a stone tomb, but in three days he arose and afterwards he went up to heaven.



He died for our sins, so that we can be saved from our sins in this life and go to live with him when we die.

Moments of Prayer

How good it is that all can pray! The Lord is always waiting to hear and answer our prayers. When we pray, we talk with God; we must listen closely when he talks to us and do whatever he says.



When we get ready for bed in the evening, we should not forget to pray. We should remember that the Lord has been good to us all the day long. He has kept us from all harm, and given us food and clothes. We should also thank him for a home and parents and friends. Even the air we breathe comes from him.

Then in the morning we should again kneel down, and thank God for his care through the night. The Lord loves to hear children pray.

After we pray, we should try hard to be good. The Lord will surely help us if we ask him. Then, do not forget to pray.

WE REAP WHAT WE SOW

Evening Prayer

Father dear, I humbly bow
At thy feet and ask thee now:
Keep me through this dreary night,
Wake me with the morning's light;
Let no danger hover near,
Let no sorrow, sigh, or fear
Break my slumber; but on thee
Let my thoughts and dreamings be.
Father bless, and may I prove
That I've tasted of thy love.
Keep my tongue and let me talk
Of thy goodness. Help me walk
As a Christian every day;
Keep me ever true, I pray.
Let no harm or sickness come
Near our happy little home.
In thy hands my all I lay;
May I never from thee stray.
Keep me, Lord, I ask again.
Praise the blessed Lord! Amen.

Visit the Sick

Do you not know some one who is sick? Some little boy or girl may be in bed with a fever, and would be so glad to see you come into the room with a bunch of flowers or some other little gift. How happy the sick one would be!

Are you not glad to see your friends when you are sick? It makes you forget some of your pain for a time, does it not?

When we give a bunch of flowers to a friend, a teacher, or some one who is sick, it is the same as saving, "I love you."

Can you not get a good book and show the sick ones some pictures, or read to them? You can read about Jesus, who had pity on all the sick and healed them.

Jesus was very kind, and was glad to take away the aches and pains when the people came to him.

He had great power to heal all kinds of sickness, and in several places in the Bible we read that "he healed all the sick" that came to him.

TAKING FLOWERS TO A SICK FRIEND

He can heal us now if we trust him and ask for his healing power. Jesus can do all things.

He can do many things for us if we live true to him, and ask him for the things that we need as we would ask mama for a piece of bread or cake. Jesus never fails to supply our needs if we are his true children and live for him. Let us have faith in God.

The Blind Girl

Blind persons can not see anything. They can not tell what any person looks like. They can not see the sun, moon, trees, birds, flowers, or any of the pretty things that we see.

They can not read as we do, but they read by feeling with the ends of their fingers. There are books with raised letters or dots on the pages for the blind, and by feeling the shape of them they can read.

See the poor blind girl reading the book. Poor girl! she can hear the birds sing, and can smell the pretty flowers, but she can not see how lovely they are.

BLIND GIRL READING

When Jesus was here on earth, he healed the blind who came to him. He is still just as able to heal the blind eyes so people can see as he was while here on earth. But it takes faith in God, who is all-powerful.

Country Children

Children love to play on the bridge over the creek, or sit down in the tall grass on the banks and pick wild flowers.

Sometimes the dog swims in the water after a stick and brings it ashore. Dogs can swim in the water; but if the children should get into deep water, they could not get out, and would drown if some one did not come to help them out.

There are many, many children living in the cities who do not have the chance to play in the green grass or pick wild flowers like the children who live in the country. How much they would enjoy doing so!

IN THE COUNTRY

God made the water and land, the grass and flowers, and intended that the children and all people should enjoy them.

Jesus once said, "Consider the lilies, how they grow; they toil not, they spin not; ... if then God so clothe the grass which is today in the field, ... how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?"

God takes care of the flowers, the grass, and the trees, and he can care for us.

FUN ON THE FARM

God Sees All Things

One time a little boy was sent by his papa to plant some beans. He worked a while, then he sat down to play. While he was playing, he spilled part of his beans. At once he began to pick them up.

There were so many beans that he became tired. Then he thought he could cover them up with dirt. He thought no one would ever know he had spilled them. At last he got the rest of the beans planted and went home.

He often thought of the beans he had spilled. But he did not tell his papa. Some time after this his papa went to the patch. He wanted to see how the beans were growing. He found that all of them had come up--even those that the boy had spilled and had not picked up. The boy did not need to tell his papa then what he had done. For his papa knew it all.

So it is with some bad things you may have done. You may think that no one will ever know of them. But the secret will come out some time. Even if no person should ever find it out, God sees all you do. You can not hide anything from him.

God's Garden

"My heart is God's little garden,
And the fruits that grow each day
Are the things that he sees me doing,
And the words that he hears me say.

"The flowers in God's little garden
Are 'joy' and 'truth' and 'love';
And the seed by the Master planted
Is raised in the garden above.

"There's a spring in God's little garden,
Whose waters, so sweet and clear,
Flow out into other gardens
Which God plants very near.

"I must tend to God's little garden,
Lest the weeds and the sharp thorns grow;
If the flowers should droop and wither,
His heart would be sad, I know."

We All Must Die

Some people are very wicked. This means that they do many bad things and do not love God. Some men swear and lie and steal and also do other sinful things.

MARILYN'S TEACHER TELLS HER OF THE HEAVENLY HOME

To tell a lie is to say things that are not true, and to steal is to take something that belongs to some one else.

Now, it is very wrong to swear, lie, or steal. God does not want us to do any such things. All who do wicked things will some day be punished.



Some day we shall die, for all of us must die. If a man should be going some place through the deep snow and should get lost and the cold should freeze him, it would kill him. He would not live any longer, but would be dead.

If we love God and live for him, he will give us a home in heaven after we die; but if we are wicked, we shall be lost and punished for our wicked ways after we die.

We should think about our life here and see that we live to please God.

If we do not, when we come to die we may be like the man in the boat. At one time he could have been saved--while he was floating on the smooth waters. But he has let it go too far, and can only look forward to his doom.

Let us love God and live for him on earth, so we can live with him in heaven after we die. When Christ was here on earth he said: "I go to prepare a place for you, ... that where I am, there ye may be also."