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The Elson Readers, Book 5

W >> William H. Elson and Christine M. Keck >> The Elson Readers, Book 5




Discussion. 1. What picture do you see when you read the first stanza?
The second stanza? 2. This story tells about a man who failed. You
have read about Peter's heroism and the lives he saved, about the
service a schoolboy rendered to a poor old woman, about a blacksmith
who joyously made the tools by which men raised fruit and grain for
food, and about a boy who was faithful to orders, even though it cost
his life. Here you see how men sometimes try to make of no effect all
the good deeds that others perform. 3. The Abbot of Aberbrothok was a
man who lived up to the ideal of service; how did he do this, and why
did men bless him? 4. Ralph the Rover was a pirate; why did he destroy
the bell? 5. All the others in the stories you have read, boys and
men, thought less of themselves than of others; of what did Ralph
think? 6. Is a merchant who raises the price of food as high as he
can, who makes huge profits while others suffer or starve, any better
than Ralph the Rover? 7. What test of loyalty to our country, would
prove such a man to be a "bad citizen"? 8. Ralph was a free man--what
did "liberty" mean to him? 9. What happened to Ralph the Rover? 10.
Find in the Glossary the meaning of: keel; abbot; perilous; joyance;
breakers; methinks. 11. Pronounce: buoy; mariners; excess; scoured.

Phrases for Study

sound of their shock, mirthful to excess, surge's swell, plague the
Abbot, cheering power of spring, plundered store.



MY BOYHOOD ON THE PRAIRIE

HAMLIN GARLAND

The cabin faced a level plain with no tree in sight. A mile away to
the west stood a low stone house, and immediately in front of us
opened a half-section of unfenced sod. To the north, as far as I could
see, the land billowed like a russet ocean, with scarcely a roof to
fleck its lonely spread. I cannot say that I liked or disliked it. I
merely marveled at it; and while I wandered about the yard, the hired
man scorched some cornmeal mush in a skillet, and this, with some
butter and gingerbread, made up my first breakfast in Mitchell County.

For a few days my brother and I had little to do other than to
keep the cattle from straying, and we used our leisure in becoming
acquainted with the region round about.

To the south the sections were nearly all settled upon, for in that
direction lay the county town; but to the north and on into Minnesota
rolled the unplowed sod, the feeding ground of the cattle, the home of
foxes and wolves, and to the west, just beyond the highest ridges, we
loved to think the bison might still be seen.

The cabin on this rented farm was a mere shanty, a shell of pine
boards, which needed reinforcing to make it habitable, and one day my
father said, "Well, Hamlin, I guess you'll have to run the plow-team
this fall. I must help neighbor Button reinforce the house, and I
can't afford to hire another man."

This seemed a fine commission for a lad of ten, and I drove my horses
into the field that first morning with a manly pride which added
an inch to my stature. I took my initial "round" at a "land" which
stretched from one side of the quarter section to the other, in
confident mood. I was grown up!

But alas! My sense of elation did not last long. To guide a team for
a few minutes as an experiment was one thing--to plow all day like a
hired hand was another. It was not a chore; it was a job. It meant
moving to and fro hour after hour, day after day, with no one to
talk to but the horses. It meant trudging eight or nine miles in the
forenoon and as many more in the afternoon, with less than an hour off
at noon. It meant dragging the heavy implement around the corners, and
it meant also many shipwrecks; for the thick, wet stubble often threw
the share completely out of the ground, making it necessary for me to
halt the team and jerk the heavy plow backward for a new start.

Although strong and active, I was rather short, even for a
ten-year-old, and to reach the plow handles I was obliged to lift my
hands above my shoulders; and so with the guiding lines crossed over
my back and my worn straw hat bobbing just above the cross-brace I
must have made a comical figure. At any rate nothing like it had been
seen in the neighborhood; and the people on the road to town, looking
across the field, laughed and called to me, and neighbor Button said
to my father in my hearing, "That chap's too young to run a plow," a
judgment which pleased and flattered me greatly.

Harriet cheered me by running out occasionally to meet me as I turned
the nearest corner, and sometimes Frank consented to go all the way
around, chatting breathlessly as he trotted along behind. At other
times he brought me a cookie and a glass of milk, a deed which helped
to shorten the forenoon. And yet plowing became tedious.

The flies were savage, especially in the middle of the day, and the
horses, tortured by their lances, drove badly, twisting and turning in
their rage. Their tails were continually getting over the lines,
and in stopping to kick their tormentors they often got astride the
traces, and in other ways made trouble for me. Only in the early
morning or when the sun sank low at night were they able to move
quietly along their way.

The soil was the kind my father had been seeking, a smooth, dark,
sandy loam, which made it possible for a lad to do the work of a man.
Often the share would go the entire "round" without striking a root or
a pebble as big as a walnut, the steel running steadily with a crisp,
crunching, ripping sound which I rather liked to hear. In truth, the
work would have been quite tolerable had it not been so long drawn
out. Ten hours of it, even on a fine day, made about twice too many
for a boy.

Meanwhile I cheered myself in every imaginable way. I whistled. I
sang. I studied the clouds. I gnawed the beautiful red skin from the
seed vessels which hung upon the wild rose bushes, and I counted the
prairie chickens as they began to come together in winter flocks,
running through the stubble in search of food. I stopped now and again
to examine the lizards unhoused by the share, and I measured the
little granaries of wheat which the mice and gophers had deposited
deep under the ground, storehouses which the plow had violated. My
eyes dwelt enviously upon the sailing hawk and on the passing of
ducks. The occasional shadowy figure of a prairie wolf made me wish
for Uncle David and his rifle.

On certain days nothing could cheer me. When the bitter wind blew from
the north, and the sky was filled with wild geese racing southward
with swiftly-hurrying clouds, winter seemed about to spring upon me.
The horses' tails streamed in the wind. Flurries of snow covered me
with clinging flakes, and the mud "gummed" my boots and trouser
legs, clogging my steps. At such times I suffered from cold and
loneliness--all sense of being a man evaporated. I was just a little
boy, longing for the leisure of boyhood.

Day after day, through the month of October and deep into November,
I followed that team, turning over two acres of stubble each day. I
would not believe this without proof, but it is true! At last it grew
so cold that in the early morning everything was white with frost,
and I was obliged to put one hand in my pocket to keep it warm, while
holding the plow with the other; but I didn't mind this so much, for
it hinted at the close of autumn. I've no doubt facing the wind in
this way was excellent discipline, but I didn't think it necessary
then, and my heart was sometimes bitter and rebellious.

My father did not intend to be severe. As he had always been an
early riser and a busy toiler, it seemed perfectly natural and good
discipline that his sons should also plow and husk corn at ten years
of age. He often told of beginning life as a "bound boy" at nine, and
these stories helped me to perform my own tasks without whining.

At last there came a morning when by striking my heel upon the ground
I convinced my boss that the soil was frozen. "All right," he said;
"you may lay off this forenoon."


NOTES AND QUESTIONS

Biography. Hamlin Garland (1860-1940) was born in Wisconsin. His
father was a farmer-pioneer, who was always eager to be on the border
line of the farming country; consequently, he moved from Wisconsin to
Minnesota, from Minnesota to Iowa, and from Iowa to Dakota. The hope
of cheaper land, better soil, and bigger crops led him on. When Hamlin
Garland turned his attention to literature, he decided to write
truthfully of the western farmer's life and its great hardships in
pioneer days, as well as its hopes and joys. In A Son of the Middle
Border, an autobiography, from which "My Boyhood on the Prairie" is
taken, he has given a most interesting record of experiences in the
development of the Middle West. Mitchell County, where this scene is
laid, is in Iowa.

Discussion. 1. Describe the boy's new home. 2. What work did the boy
have to do? 3. In what spirit did he start the plowing? 4. Why did his
"sense of elation" soon disappear? 5. Was his task harder than that of
Peter or of the boy who helped "Somebody's Mother"? 6. Must a boy do
some marvelous thing to be a hero? 7. How did the boy try to keep
himself in good cheer? 8. In The World of Nature, A Forward Look you
are told that if you have eyes to see, "the world of Nature is a
fairyland." Why do you think this boy had "eyes to see"? Find your
answer by reading the last two lines on page 131 and the first ten
lines on page 132. 9. What made him wish for freedom? 10. Class
reading: Page 131, line 8, to the end of the story. 11. Outline for
testing silent reading. Tell the story briefly, using these topics:
(a) the region and the cabin; (b) what plowing meant to a boy; (c)
how the boy was cheered. 12. Find in the Glossary the meaning
of: marveled; scorched; skillet; ridges; reinforcing; habitable;
commission; stature; implement; stubble; share; cross-brace; judgment;
tormentors; tolerable; unhoused; deposited; clog ging; evaporated. 13.
Pronounce: chore; tedious; loam; imaginable; gopher; leisure.

Phrases for Study

billowed like a russet ocean, guiding lines, fleck its lonely spread,
tortured by their lances, county town, astride the traces, initial
round, go the entire round, confident mood, plow had violated, sense
of elation, bound boy.




WOODMAN, SPARE THAT TREE

GEORGE P. MORRIS

Woodman, spare that tree!
Touch not a single bough;
In youth it sheltered me,
And I'll protect it now.
'Twas my forefather's hand
That placed it near his cot;
There, woodman, let it stand;
Thy ax shall harm it not;

That old familiar tree,
Whose glory and renown
Are spread o'er land and sea--
And wouldst thou hack it down?
Woodman, forbear thy stroke!
Cut not its earth-bound ties;
Oh, spare that aged oak
Now towering to the skies.

When but an idle boy,
I sought its grateful shade;
In all their gushing joy,
Here, too, my sisters played.
My mother kissed me here;
My father pressed my hand--
Forgive this foolish tear,
But let that old oak stand!

My heart-strings round thee cling,
Close as thy bark, old friend!
Here shall the wild-bird sing,
And still thy branches bend.
Old tree! the storm still brave!
And, woodman, leave the spot;
While I've a hand to save,
Thy ax shall harm it not.


NOTES AND QUESTIONS

Biography. George P. Morris (1802-1864) was born in Philadelphia. He
was an editor and a poet and was connected with a number of newspapers
in New York City.

Discussion. 1. To whom is the poet speaking in these verses? 2. What
does he wish to prevent? 3. Why is the tree dear to him? 4. Whom does
he remember seeing under the tree? 5. What did they do there? 6. How
will the poet protect the tree? 7. How does the American Forestry
Association protect trees? 8. Why should trees be cared for and
protected? 9. Why do we celebrate Arbor Day? 10. Find in the Glossary
the meaning of: forefather; renown; towering; heart-strings.

Phrases for Study

near his cot, earth-bound ties, forbear thy stroke, storm still brave.




THE AMERICAN BOY

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

What we have a right to expect of the American boy is that he shall
turn out to be a good American man. Now the chances are strong that he
won't be much of a man unless he is a good deal of a boy. He must not
be a coward or a weakling, a bully, a shirk, or a prig. He must work
hard and play hard. He must be clean-minded and clean lived, and able
to hold his own against all comers. It is only on these conditions
that he will grow into the kind of American man of whom America can be
really proud.

No boy can afford to neglect his work, and, with a boy, work as a
rule means study. A boy should work, and should work hard, at his
lessons--in the first place, for the sake of what he will learn, and
in the next place, for the sake of the effect upon his own character
of resolutely settling down to learn it. Shiftlessness, slackness,
indifference in studying are almost certain to mean inability to get
on in other walks of life. I do not believe in mischief-doing in
school hours, or in the kind of animal spirits that results in making
bad scholars; and I believe that those boys who take part in rough,
hard play outside of school will not find any need for horseplay in
school. While they study they should study just as hard as they play
football. It is wise to obey the homely old adage, "Work while you
work; play while you play."

A boy needs both physical and moral courage. Neither can take the
place of the other. A coward who will take a blow without returning
it is a contemptible creature; but, after all, he is hardly as
contemptible as the boy who dares not stand up for what he deems right
against the sneers of his companions who are themselves wrong. There
is no need to be a prig. There is no need for a boy to preach
about his own conduct and virtue. If he does, he will make himself
ridiculous. But there is need that he should practice decency; that he
should be clean and straight, honest and truthful, gentle and tender,
as well as brave.

The boy can best become a good man by being a good boy--not a
goody-goody boy, but just a plain good boy. "Good," in the largest
sense, should include whatever is fine, straightforward, clean, brave,
and manly. The best boys I know--the best men I know--are good at
their studies or their business, fearless and stalwart, hated and
feared by all that is wicked, incapable of submitting to wrong-doing,
and equally incapable of being aught but tender to the weak and
helpless. A healthy-minded boy should feel hearty contempt for the
coward, and even more hearty indignation for the boy who bullies girls
or small boys, or tortures animals.

Of course the effect that a thoroughly manly, thoroughly straight and
upright boy can have upon the companions of his own age, and upon
those who are younger, is incalculable. He cannot do good work if he
is not strong and does not try with his whole heart and soul to count
in any contest; and his strength will be a curse to himself and to
everyone else if he does not have thorough command over himself and
over his own evil passions, and if he does not use his strength on the
side of decency, justice, and fair dealing.

In short, in life, as in a football game, the principle to follow is:
Hit the line hard; don't foul and don't shirk, but hit the line hard!
--Abridged.


NOTES AND QUESTIONS

For Biography, see page 37. Discussion. 1. This selection sums up all
the stories of service that you have been reading. You will get most
out of it if you will think back over these stories and use them as
illustrations of what Mr. Roosevelt tells you is his ideal of the
American boy. What examples, in these stories, can you find to
illustrate the sentence, "He must not be a coward or a weakling....
He must work hard and play hard"? 2. Illustrate, from the story of
Lincoln, what Mr. Roosevelt says about study. What was Lincoln's
attitude toward study? What is yours? Did Lincoln's studies have the
effect on his character that Mr. Roosevelt speaks about? 3. What story
illustrates the sentence, "There is need that he should practice
decency; that he should be clean and straight, honest and truthful,
gentle and tender, as well as brave"? 4. How does the story about life
on the prairie illustrate the paragraph that begins, "The boy can best
become a good man by being a good boy"? What is the difference between
being "a good boy" and "a goodygoody boy"? 5. Was Ralph the Rover a
brave man or a coward? 6. Apply the principle stated by Mr. Roosevelt
at the end of the selection to the story about Washington and
Braddock. To the story about the boy on the prairie. 7. Can you relate
an instance in which a manly boy had a good influence upon another boy
or Upon his companions? 8. Do you think the football slogan given in
the last sentence on page 137 is a good principle of life? Memorize
the slogan. 9. This selection is taken from The Strenuous Life; it
first appeared in St. Nicholas, May, 1900. 10. Find in the Glossary
the meaning of: shirk; prig; resolutely; indifference; inability;
horseplay; deems; indignation; bullies. 11. Pronounce: adage; neither;
contemptible; ridiculous; stalwart; incapable; aught; incalculable.

Phrases for Study

against all comers, physical and moral courage, walks of life,
practice decency, animal spirits, in the largest sense, homely old
adage, aught but tender.


HOME AND COUNTRY


A BACKWARD LOOK

As you gazed through your Crystal Glass of Reading at the selections
in Part I, you saw reflected now pictures of home and now again a
picture of that early Thanksgiving Day when Pilgrim and Indian sat
down together to the "varied riches of gardens and woods and waves."
When you heard Massasoit say at the feast, "The Good Spirit loves His
white children best," you wondered about the truth of his statement
and, as you thought about it, perhaps Abraham Lincoln came to mind;
what do you think Lincoln, if he had been alive at that time, might
have answered the Indian chief? The poems about home might be called
memory-pictures of home; why do you think older people remember with
so much fondness their childhood homes? Imagine yourself telling
your grandchildren about the home of your youth and about your home
pleasures; what things would you mention? Why is it a good thing for a
nation to have its people love their homes and the festival days like
Christmas and Thanksgiving?

And now a turn of the Crystal Glass reveals a glorious flag, floating
protectingly over us. How you love to look upon its starry folds; when
statesmen and poets tell you of the meaning of Old Glory you realize
that there is good reason for your pride and your love. What did
Charles Sumner tell you about the meaning of the stars and the stripes
and the colors of the Flag? What did James Whitcomb Riley tell you
about how Old Glow got its name? What were the circumstances under
which Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner"? What are
some of the things you can do to show your respect for the Flag? What
are some of the things you remember about Lincoln's boyhood? How
does his method of memorizing com-pare with yours? The young George
Washington showed remarkable bravery as Braddock's chief assistant;
what other fine quality did he show? How may these stories about
Washington and Lincoln help you to be a worthy citizen of the country
they helped to found and preserve?

We admire all people who are helpful to others, but when in giving
service, some forget about themselves and even sacrifice themselves
for others, we regard these as heroes. Peter, in "The Leak in the
Dike," and the boy in "Somebody's Mother" forgot about themselves in
their service to others; one disregarded danger to himself, and
the other the possible jeers of his playmates; do you know of any
instances of service in your school? It is fine to serve obediently
under the command of superiors as did the young Casabianca, but it is
even finer to think quickly in an emergency and to do what should be
done when there is no one at hand to give orders. Who gave Peter his
orders? Tubal Cain belongs to a group of men who have served their
fellow men by useful inventions; mention some other inventors and tell
how they have helped mankind. Hamlin Garland gave you a glimpse of
the pioneer's service to our country; what names of pioneers in your
locality are honored for their service in the early days? What ideas
of being useful home-members did you get from Hamlin Garland and
Theodore Roosevelt? How does the habit of being useful in the home
fit one for being a good citizen? American boys and girls have many
opportunities for service in the home, in the school, and in their
other relations; have you done any piece of service, in an organized
way, in your school? Does your school belong to the Junior Red Cross,
and does it try' to follow the motto, "Go forth to serve"?

When you look back upon all that you have read of home and country,
you no doubt come to the conclusion that "the man without a country"
summed it all up when he said, "Stick to your family... Think of your
home... And for your country and for your Flag, never dream but of
serving her."

From selections found in this book prepare a program for Washington's
birthday.





PART II


STORIES OF ADVENTURE


Hush! Again a forest and somebody up in a tree--not Robin Hood...
but an Eastern King with a glittering scimitar and turban. It is the
setting-in of the bright Arabian Nights.

Oh, now ail common things become uncommon and enchanted to me. All
lamps are wonderful; all rings are talismans... Trees are for Ali Baba
to hide in; beefsteaks are to throw down into the Valley of Diamonds
that the precious stones may stick to them and be carried by the
eagles to their nests, whence the traders, with loud cries, will scare
them.

CHARLES DICKENS.


STORIES OF ADVENTURE

A FORWARD LOOK


When something out of the ordinary happens to you, you call it an
adventure. Perhaps you came very near getting drowned in the swimming
pool, or you found a purse with some money and some queer treasures in
it, or you met a very curious old man, or you caught a rabbit after an
exciting chase, or you went on a long journey and saw many wonderful
things. If you have had such an experience, you like to tell about it
to your friends, and if you have not, you like to hear the stories
told by people who have had some thrilling adventure of their own.

From the earliest times to the present the man who has had some
unusual experience to tell about has been a favorite. We are eager to
hear such stories; they make life seem more interesting and varied.
Nowadays we read such stories in books and magazines; we are not
dependent upon hearing them from the lips of those who have lived
lives of adventure. But centuries ago, before there were books and
newspapers, when any journey away from home, even for a few miles, was
filled with peril, the traveler who could tell of marvelous things, or
the weaver of tales who had a vivid imagination so that he could tell
about things that seemed really true, found eager hearers. Among the
French, stories about Roland, the wonderful knight who fought in the
wars of the Emperor Charlemagne, were known by every boy and girl. The
English had King Arthur, and Saint George, and Robin Hood.

Besides these legends about a national hero, there are many
collections of stories that have grown up among the common people.
One of the oldest of these collections of tales is that known as the
Arabian Nights. For hundreds of years these stories were told in the
tents of the desert or in the gay bazaars of the cities of the East.
About the time of the discovery of America they were written down and
became known as the Arabian Nights Entertainment, or the tales of a
thousand and one nights. We are told that there was once a cruel King
who planned to slay all the women in his kingdom. His wife determined
to tell him such wonderful stories that he would give up his cruel
purpose. So she told him of enchanted gardens, of caves filled with
treasure, of palaces built in a night, and of many other things. He
was so eager to hear these stories that a thousand and one nights
passed before he could escape from the spell that she laid upon him.
By this time he was so much in love with her that he withdrew his
wicked order. You may see how marvelous were these tales by reading
the stories of Aladdin, of Ali Baba, and of Sindbad the Sailor.
Perhaps when you have finished them you will not wonder that the King
found the thousand and one nights so happy that he lost his desire to
carry out his cruel purpose.

Next, you are introduced to one of the most popular of English heroes,
Robin Hood. Many old ballads and tales, older than the first American
colony, have come down to us with these stories of the famous outlaw.
The stories are very different from those of the Arabian Nights. They
have no treasure caves or magic lamps or voyages to strange countries
in them. They tell of contests in archery, for which the English were
famous; of wrestling and swimming matches; of outlaws and dwellers in
the greenwood. Because he was their champion against unjust taxation
and oppressive laws, Robin Hood was the idol of the common people.
They made up games about him, in which old and young took part.
Wandering minstrels sang about him. "Lincoln green," the color of the
clothing worn by Robin and his followers, was a favorite with all
foresters. Why Robin was so loved you may determine for yourselves by
reading the stories of Robin Hood given in the pages that follow.

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