[Transcriber's Notes: Bold text is surrounded by =equal signs= and italic text is surrounded by _underscores_. This first part of this text has sections of text to be copied in cursive. These sections are wrapped in brackets and preceded by the word "cursive". These sections also have small illustrations to aid in easy reading these illustrations are signified by [*] in the text.] [Illustration: Lovingly Presented to ________________________________ by ________________________________ With kindest wishes for a life of usefulness.] [Illustration: THE GOOD SHEPHERD] Best Stories from the Best Book AN ILLUSTRATED Bible Companion for the Home BY JAMES EDSON WHITE With an Introductory Department of Easy Lessons for Children BY ELLA KING SANDERS Over 875 Thousand Sold SOUTHERN PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION Fort Worth, Texas Nashville, Tennessee Atlanta, Georgia Printed in the United States of America. COPYRIGHT 1900, BY J. E. WHITE PREFACE THIS little book is divided into two parts. The First Department is the children's very own. It is for them to study under the guidance of teacher, mother, brother, or sister. It has been prepared with great care by one who has had many years' experience as a teacher of children. The Second Department is for the entertainment of children both young and old. Its lessons are taken from God's Word. While the children are learning to read from the "Easy Lesson" department, let the parents and older brothers and sisters read to them the Bible stories which follow, showing and explaining to them the beautiful pictures which accompany them. Lessons taught in this manner will never be forgotten. TO TEACHERS AND PARENTS. God speaks to us through His Word, by His Spirit, and through nature. By interesting children in nature, which is all about them, it is hoped they will find pleasure in studying God's open book, and thus be led to love and study His written Word. BLACKBOARD TEACHING.--The crayon and the blackboard are very essential in the work with children. Let the first lessons be given in script from the blackboard. The simple sentences may be drawn from the child by questioning. Then tell the child that you will write what he has said. Then ask, "Now can you read it?" The lesson should be about some thing which the child can see, and in which he is interested. For a review lesson, if the idiom, "I see," has been learned, many sentences may be made by drawing the objects, as "I see a *" (here draw a leaf or some other object). Use the idioms, "I have," "This is," etc., in the same way. The earlier lessons in this book should be largely supplemented from the blackboard in this way, or by variation of the different sentences.