Hymns for Mothers and Children

NOT READY FOR SCHOOL.

For love and kindness please him more
Than if we give him all our store;
And children here, who dwell in love,
Are like his happy ones above.

The gentle child, who tries to please,
Dislikes to quarrel, fret, and tease,
And would not say an angry word,
That child is pleasing to the Lord.

Great God forgive whenever we
Forget thy will and disagree;
And grant that each of us may find
The sweet delight of being kind.

NOT READY FOR SCHOOL.

PRAY, where is my hat, it is taken away,
And my shoe-strings are all in a knot;

I can't find a thing where it should be to-day,
Though I've hunted in every spot.

Do, Rachel, just look for my Atlas up stairs,
My Esop is somewhere there too;

And sister, just brush down these troublesome hairs,
And mother just fasten my shoe.

NOT READY FOR SCHOOL.

And sister, beg father to write an excuse,

But stop, he will only say "No";

And go on with a smile, and keep reading the news, While everything bothers me so.

My satchel is heavy, and ready to fall,

This old pop-gun is breaking my map;
I'll have nothing to do with the pop-gun or ball,
There's no playing for such a poor chap.

The town-clock will strike in a minute, I fear,
Then away to the foot I must sink;
There-look at my Carpenter tumbled down here,
And my Worcester covered with ink.

I wish I'd not lingered at breakfast the last,
Though the toast and the butter were fine;
I think that our Edward must eat pretty fast,
To be off when I have n't done mine.

Now Edward and Henry protest they won't wait,
And beat on the door with their sticks;
I suppose they will say I was dressing too late;
To-morrow, I'll be up at six.

MRS. GILMAN

BUSY LITTLE HUSBANDMAN.

I'm a little husbandman,
Work and labor hard I can ;
I'm as happy all the day
At my work as if 't were play:
Though I've nothing fine to wear,
Yet for that I do not care.

When to work I go along,
Singing loud my morning song,
With my wallet on my back,
And my wagon-whip to crack,
O, I'm thrice as happy then
As the idle gentleman.

I've a hearty appetite,
And I soundly sleep at night;
Down I lie content, and say
I've been useful all the day:
I'd rather be a ploughboy than
A useless little gentleman.

KINDNESS TO SERVANTS.

NURSERY SONGS OF SCOTLAND.

Now what was that you said to May
So pettishly yestreen?

O, well you may feel shame to tell
How saucy you have been.
There's nothing spoils a bonny face
Like sulks, in old or young,
And what can fit a lassie worse,
Than an ill-bred, saucy tongue ?

It's not your part to scold at May,
To you she's aye been kind,
And oft she's sung you to your sleep,
Long, long ere you can mind.

She cooks the meat, she does the work,
She cleans when you but soil,
And what would helpless bairnies be,
Without the hands that toil?

The kindly look, the gentle word,
Make friends of all who live,

And give a charm to every face
That nothing else can give.

It's well for bairns to have a friend,

Who watches them with care,
For when in fault, they learn from him
In future to beware.

ALEXANDER SMART.

THE LITTLE TREE, ETC.

THE LITTLE TREE

THAT WANTED TO HAVE OTHER LEAVES.

A LITTLE tree stood up in the wood,
In bright and dirty weather;

And nothing but needles it had for leaves,
From top to bottom together.

The needles stuck about,

And the little tree spoke out:

"My companions all have leaves
Beautiful to see,

While I've nothing but these needles;
No one touches me.

Might I have my fortune told,
All my leaves should be pure gold."

The little tree's asleep by dark,
Awake by earliest light;

And now its golden leaves you mark;
There was a sight!

The little tree says: "Now I'm set high;
No tree in the wood has gold leaves but I."

And now again the night came back;

Through the forest there walked a Jew; With great thick beard and great thick sack, And soon the gold leaves did view.

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