Without the co-operation of these and many other friends we feel that so large a measure of excellence as we believe the volumes possess could not have been attained. {14} {15} PREFACE The editors have endeavored to make this volume a treasure house of all the good things, new and old, which would serve to assist in the moral training of little children. The volume includes a Primer, arranged on the plan of the ordinary school primer, designed to give the elemental religious truths in the simplest form. Any child who is learning to read at school can learn also to read these sentences. The texts at the bottom of the pages are to be read by the parent to the child, and may with profit be committed to memory by the child. The short Bible stories which follow may also be easily read by children. The hymns and poems and most of the pictures are "classic." They should be known by every child for their own worth, and as an antidote for the rubbish which constitutes so large a proportion of the reading of children. Parents will be pleased to find the fine old hymns of Watts and Jane Taylor, some of them set to delightful music by Prof. Sleeper of Smith College. These poems should not be allowed by neglect to pass out of the possession of modern children. It is hoped that this volume will go far toward solving the problem of Sunday afternoon occupation for children, and will meet the constant demand for such a collection of religious literature. {16} {17} CONTENTS A BIBLE PRIMER 23 HYMNS FOR THE MORNING 69 When Morning Gilds the Skies. _From the German_ 71 A Song of Thanksgiving. _From the German_ 75 Heaven is Not Reached at a Single Bound. _J. G. Holland_ 77 Still, Still With Thee. _Harriet Beecher Stowe_ 78 SHORT BIBLE STORIES 79 God Sees Me. 81 What Does God Want Me To Do? 82 What God Gives. 85 Jesus and His Friends. 86 Jesus Had No Home. 89 The People Loved Jesus. 93 The Sea of Galilee. 94 The Boyhood of Jesus. 97 Jesus and Sick People. 98 Talking With Our Father. 101 God is Our Father. 105 What Jesus Said About Birds and Flowers. 106 What Jesus Said About Trees. 109 Jesus and the Little Girl. 110 The Baby Hid in a Basket. 117