ARTHUR AND HIS APPLE TREE.
One summer day little William was sitting in the garden chair beside
his mother, under the shade of a large cherry tree which stood on the
grass plot in front of the house. He was reading in a little book.
After he had been reading some time, he looked, up to his mother and
said:
"Mother, will you tell me what is the meaning of 'you must return good
for evil?'"
His mother replie
"I knew a little boy," she said, "whose name was Arthur Scott; he
lived with his grandmamma, who loved him very much, and who wished
that he might grow up to be a good man. Little Arthur had a garden of
his own, and in it grew an apple tree, which was then very small, but
to his great joy had upon it two fine rosy-cheeked apples, the first
ones it had produced. Arthur wished to taste of them very much to know
if they were sweet or sour; but he was not a selfish boy, and he says
to his grandmother one morning:
"I think I shall leave my apples on the tree till my birthday, then
papa and mamma and sister Fanny will come and see me, and we will eat
them together."
"'A very good thought," said his grandmother; "and you shall gather
them yourself.'
"It seemed a long time for him to wait; but the birthday came at last,
and in the morning as soon as he was dressed he ran into his garden to
gather his apples; but lo! they were gone. A naughty boy who saw them
hanging on the tree, had climbed over the garden wall and stolen them.
"Arthur felt very sorry about losing his apples, and he began to cry,
but he soon wiped his eyes, and said to his grandmother:
"'It is hard to lose my nice apples, but it was much worse for that
naughty boy to commit so great a sin as to steal them. I am sure God
must be very angry with him; and I will go and kneel down and ask God
to forgive him.'
"So he went and prayed for the boy who had stolen his apples. Now,
William, do you not think that was returning good for evil?"
"O, yes," said William; "and I thank you, mother, for your pretty
story. I now understand what my new book means." Little Arthur grew to
be a man, and always bore a good name.
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CHORUS
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The country residence of Mr. John Hinckman was a delightful place to me, for many reasons. It was the abode of a genial, though somewhat impulsive, hospitality. It had broad, smooth-shaven lawns and towering oaks and elms; there were bosky shades ... A BOY REPROVED BY A BIRD.
The sparrows often build their nests under the eaves of houses and barns. A young lad saw one of the sparrows conveying materials for her nest, which she was building under the eaves of a cottage adjoining his father's house. He was told not to di... A GOOD ACT FOR ANOTHER.
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Mrs. Savage was the eldest sister of Matthew Henry. When she was a child she had a great many advantages for the improvement of her mind. When only seven years of age, she could translate the Hebrew language, and when ten years old, she could writ... A SCENE IN LONDON.
My young readers may have heard about the poor people in London. The following story is a specimen of the hardships of many young girls, in that famous city. "Two young women occupied one small room of about ten feet by eight. They were left orph... AGNES AND THE MOUSE.
One brilliant Christmas day, two little girls were walking towards a neighboring village, when they observed a little creature walking about the road. "Surely," said Mary, "it is a large mouse;" and it did not seem to be afraid, so they thought fr... ANECDOTES.
A poor Arabian of the desert was one day asked, how he came to be assured that there was a God. "In the same way," he replied, "that I am enabled to tell by a print impressed on the sand, whether it was a man or beast that passed that way." ... ANECDOTES.
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It was a wearisome day to poor Anna, as she walked from square to square, calling at the houses for employment. Some received her kindly, and patronised her themselves, and promised to interest their friends in her behalf, while others, alleging t... ANNA WITH A PLEASANT HOME.
Anna, having obtained leave of her mistress, soon found herself at the door of Mrs. West. The servant girl came to the door, and Anna followed her into the sitting-room, where every thing was nicely arranged. Soon a gentle looking lady came into t... ANNE CLEAVELAND.
Anne was the daughter of a wealthy farmer. She had a good New England school education, and was well bred and well taught at home in the virtues and manners that constitute domestic social life. Her father died a year before her marriage. He left ... ARTHUR AND HIS APPLE TREE.
One summer day little William was sitting in the garden chair beside his mother, under the shade of a large cherry tree which stood on the grass plot in front of the house. He was reading in a little book. After he had been reading some time, he l... Asaph
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You have perhaps heard of Benjamin West, the celebrated artist. I will tell you about his first effort in drawing. One of his sisters who had been married some time, came with her babe to spend a few days at her father's. When the child was asle... BERTIE'S BOX.
A very little boy by the name of "Bertie," kept a box in which he deposited his little treasures. After he died his mother took the key and opened it. It was full of all sorts of things. There were specimens of stones, and shells, and moss, and gr... CHINESE PROVERBS.
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Let me here give you a few maxims to commit to memory:---- Avoid and shun the sources of misery. Be sure not to _indulge_ your appetite. Strong drink excites a person to do wrong. Remember you are never out of temptation. A _life of virt... EARLY AT SCHOOL.
One Sabbath evening a teacher was walking up and down in the porch before his house, in one of the South Sea Islands. The sun was setting behind the waves of the ocean, and the labors of the day were over. In that cool, quiet hour, the teacher was... EDWARD AND ELLEN.
Edward Ford owned a snug little cottage with a small farm situated about a mile from the village. When he was married to Ellen G----, who was said to be one of the best girls in the village, he took her to his nice little home, where he had every ... EMILY'S MORNING RAMBLE.
In the suburbs of the city of B. stands the beautiful residence of Mr. James. It was a rural spot, as it was surrounded with all the beauties of nature. There were rippling streams, and winding paths through the green fields and woods, sunny hills... FLORA AND HER PORTRAIT.
"And was there never a portrait of your beautiful child," said Anne Jones, to a lady whom she met at the grave where her child had been lain a few weeks. "Oh, yes! but I may never have it," replied the woman as she stood weeping at the grave. ... FLYING THE KITE.
Flying the kite is a pleasant amusement for boys, and when we see the kites flying high in the air, we are always reminded of a kite whose history we heard when a little child, and which we give our readers. Shortly after the close of the Revoluti... GATHER THE FLOWERS.
Two little girls went into the fields to gather flowers. Buttercups, violets, and many other blossoms were in abundance. One of the girls was pleased with every thing, and began to pick such flowers as came in her way. In a short time she collecte... GEORGE AND HIS GUINEA.
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One day, says a Persian poet, I saw a bunch of roses, and in the midst of them grew a tuft of grass. "How," I cried to the grass, "does a poor plant like you dare to be found in the company of roses?" And I ran to tear away the tuft, when the... HARRIET AND HER SQUIRREL.
It was on a Sabbath eve, when at a friend's house, we were all sitting in the piazza, conversing about the efforts which were being made for the poor heathen, and the number of Testaments which were being sent to them. "Father," said little Har... HARVEST SONG.
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It is a mark of a good scholar to be prompt and studious. Such were the habits of little Jane Sumner. She was the youngest of three sisters and from her first being able to read, she was very fond of reading; and at school her teacher became much ... JONAS AND HIS HORSE.
A horse is a noble animal, and is made for the service of man. No one who has tender feelings can bear to see the horse abused. It is wicked for any one to do so. A horse has a good memory, and he will never forget a kind master. Jonas Carter is o... JULIA'S SUNSET WALK.
It was a beautiful June day, just at the sun's setting, when Julia Eastworth went to visit the resting place of a dear grandmother. While she was in the grave-yard, meditating on the loss of one of her best earthly friends, she saw a lady dressed ... LETTICE AND CATHERINE,
... LETTICE AND MYRA.
... LETTICE TAKING HOME THE WORK.
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I wish to relate to you a very affecting story about a good girl who died when she was thirteen years old. She was an interesting young girl, and possessed great intellectual powers. She was also very fond of the works of nature, especially of flo... LOOK UP.
A little boy went to sea with his father to learn to be a sailor. One day his father said to him, "Come, my boy, you will never be a sailor if you don't learn to climb." The boy was very ambitious, and soon scrambled up to top of the rigging; b... MARGARET AND HERBERT.
In a large family there are often diversity of character and varieties of mood and temper, which bring some clouds of sorrow. In our little Eden of innocence there were storms now and then. Miles was a little wild and head-strong from his babyhood... MELLY, ANNA AND SUSY.
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I must tell you who were Lettice and Myra. They were the daughters of a clergyman, who held the little vicarage of Castle Rising. But misfortune, which sometimes meets the wise and good, reduced the family to poor circumstances. After the parents'... OR, HONESTY REWARDED.
At St. Petersburgh, the birth day of any of the royal family is observed as a time of great festivity, by all kinds of diversions. When the vessel in which John Read shipped arrived, he was allowed to go on shore to see the sport on that occasion....