Story Lessons on Character-Building (Morals) and Manners Part 1

Story Lessons of Character Building (Morals) and Manners.

by Los Bates.

PREFACE.

ALTHOUGH it is admitted by all teachers, in theory at least, that morals and manners are essential subjects in the curriculum of life, how very few give them an appointed place in the school routine. Every other subject has its special time allotted, but these--the most important subjects--are left to chance, or taken up, haphazard, at any time; surely this is wrong.

Incidents often occur in the school or home life which afford fitting opportunity for the inculcation of some special moral truth, but maybe the teacher or mother has no suitable ill.u.s.tration just at hand, and the occasion is pa.s.sed over with a reproof. It is hoped that where such want is felt this little book may supply the need.

The stories may be either told or read to the children, and are as suitable for the home as the school. "The Fairy Temple" should be read as an introduction to the Story Lessons, for the _teaching_ of the latter is based on this introductory fairy tale. If used at home the blackboard sketch may be written on a slate or slip of paper. The children will not weary if the stories are repeated again and again (this at least was the writer's experience), and they will be eager to p.r.o.nounce what is the teaching of the tale. In this way the lessons are reiterated and enforced. The method is one which the writer found exceedingly effective during long years of experience. Picture-teaching is an ideal way of conveying truths to children, and these little stories are intended to be pictures in which the children may see and contrast the good with the bad, and learn to love the good. The faults of young children are almost invariably due either to thoughtlessness or want of knowledge, and the little ones are delighted to learn and put into practice the lessons taught in these stories, which teaching should be applied in the cla.s.s or home as occasion arises. _E.g._, a child is pa.s.sing in front of another without any apology, the teacher says, immediately: "Remember Minnie, you do not wish to be rude, like she was"

(Story Lesson 111). Or if a child omits to say "Thank you," he may be reminded by asking: "Have you forgotten 'Alec and the Fairies'?" (Story Lesson 95). The story lessons should be read to the children until they become perfectly familiar with them, so that each may be applied in the manner indicated.

1.--MORAL SUBJECTS.

I. INTRODUCTORY STORY.

1. The Fairy Temple.

(The following story should be read to the children =first=, as it forms a kind of groundwork for the Story Lessons which follow.)

It was night--a glorious, moonlight night, and in the shade of the leafy woods the Queen of the fairies was calling her little people together by the sweet tones of a tinkling, silver bell. When they were all gathered round, she said: "My dear children, I am going to do a great work, and I want you all to help me". At this the fairies spread their wings and bowed, for they were always ready to do the bidding of their Queen. They were all dressed in lovely colours, of a gauzy substance, finer than any silk that ever was seen, and their names were called after the colours they wore. The Queen's robe was of purple and gold, and glittered grandly in the moonlight.

"I have determined," said the Queen, "to build a Temple of precious stones, and =your= work will be to bring me the material." "Rosy-wings,"

she continued, turning to a little fairy clad in delicate pink, and fair as a rose, "you shall bring rubies." "Gra.s.s-green," to a fairy dressed in green, "your work is to find emeralds; and s.h.i.+ny-wings, you will go to the mermaids and ask them to give you pearls."

Now there stood near the Queen six tiny, fairy sisters, whose robes were whiter and purer than any. The sisters were all called by the same name--"Crystal-clear," and they waited to hear what their work was to be.

"Sisters Crystal-clear," said the Queen, "you shall all of you bring diamonds; we shall need so many diamonds."

There was another fairy standing there, whose robe seemed to change into many colours as it s.h.i.+mmered in the moonlight, just as you have seen the sky change colour at sunset, and to her the Queen said, "Rainbow-robe, go and find the opal".

Then there were three other fairy sisters called "Gold-wings," who were always trying to help the other fairies, and to do good to everybody, and the Queen told them to bring fine gold to fasten the precious stones together.

These are not =all= the fairies who were there; some others wore blue, some yellow, and the Queen gave them all their work. Then she rang a tiny, silver bell, and they all spread their wings and bowed before they flew away to do her bidding.

After many days the fairies came together to bring their precious treasures to the Queen. How they carried them I scarcely know, but there was a little girl, many years ago, who often paused at the window of a jeweller's shop to gaze at a tiny, silver boy, with silver wings, wheeling a silver wheel-barrow full of rings, and the little girl thought that perhaps the fairies carried things in the same way. Anyhow, they all came to the Queen bringing their burdens, and she soon set to work on the Temple.

"The foundations must be laid with diamonds," said the Queen. "Where are the six sisters? Ah! here they come with the lovely, s.h.i.+ning diamonds, which are like themselves, 'clear as crystal'. Now little Gold-wings, bring =your= treasure," and the three little sisters brought the finest of gold. So the work went merrily on, and the fairies danced in glee as they saw the glittering Temple growing under the clever hands of the Queen. She made the doors of pearls and the windows of rubies, and the roof she said should be of opal, because it would show many colours when the light played upon it.

At last the lovely building was finished, and after the fairies had danced joyfully round it in a ring again and again, until they could dance no longer, they gathered in a group round the dear Queen, and thanked her for having made so beautiful a Temple.

"It is quite the loveliest thing in the world, I am sure," said Rosy-wings.

"Not quite," replied the Queen, "mortals have it in their power to make a lovelier Temple than ours."

"Who are 'mortals'?" asked s.h.i.+ny-wings.

"Boys and girls are mortals," said the Queen, "and grown-up people also."

"I have never seen mortals build anything half so pretty as our Temple,"

said Gra.s.s-green; "their houses are made of stone and brick."

"Ah! Gra.s.s-green," answered the Queen, smiling, "you have never seen the Temple I am speaking of, but it =is= better than ours, for it lasts--lasts for ever. Wind and rain, frost and snow, will spoil our Temple in time; but the Temple of the mortals lives on, and is never destroyed."

"Do tell us about it, dear Queen," said all the fairies; "we will try to understand."

"It is called by rather a long word," said the Queen, "its name is 'character'; =that= is what the mortals build, and the stones they use are more precious than our stones. I will tell you the names of some of them. First there is =Truth=, clear and bright like the diamonds; that must be the foundation; no good character can be made without Truth."

Then the sisters Crystal-clear smiled at each other and said, "We brought diamonds for truth".

"There are =Honesty=, =Obedience=, and many others," continued the Queen, "and =Kindness=, which is like the pure gold that was brought by Gold-wings, and makes a lovely setting for all the other stones."

The little fairies were glad to hear all this about the Temple which the mortals build, and Gold-wings said that she would like above everything to be able to help boys and girls to make their Temple beautiful, and the other fairies said the same; so the Queen said they all might try to help them, for each boy and girl =must= build a Temple, and the name of that Temple is Character.

II. OBEDIENCE.

2. The Two Voices.

There was once a little boy who said that whenever he was going to do anything wrong he heard two voices speaking to him. Do you know what he meant? Perhaps this story will help you.

The boy's name was Cecil. Cecil's father had a very beautiful and rare canary, which had been brought far over the sea as a present to him.

Cecil often helped to feed the canary and give it fresh water, and sometimes his father would allow him to open the door of the cage, and the bird would come out and perch on his hand, which delighted Cecil very much, but he was not allowed to open the door of the cage unless his father was with him.

One day, however, Cecil came to the cage alone, and while he watched the canary, a little voice said, "Open the door and take him out; father will never know". That was a =wrong= voice, and Cecil tried not to listen. It would have been better if he had gone away from the cage, but he did not; and the voice came again, "Open the door and let him out".

And another little voice said, "No, don't; your father said you must not". But Cecil listened to the =wrong= voice; he opened the door gently, and out flew the pretty bird. First it perched on his finger, then it flew about the room, and then--Cecil had not noticed that the window was open--then, before he knew, out of the window flew the canary, and poor Cecil burst into tears. "Oh! if I had listened to the =good= voice, the =right= voice, and not opened the door! Father will be so angry." Then the =bad= voice came again and said, "Don't tell your father; say you know nothing about it ". But Cecil did not listen this time; he was too brave a boy to tell his father a lie, and he determined to tell the truth and be punished, if necessary.

Of course his father was very sorry to lose his beautiful canary, and more sorry still that his little son had been disobedient, but he was glad that Cecil told him the truth.

Now do you know the two things that the =wrong= voice told Cecil to do?

It told him (1) Not to obey; (2) Not to tell the truth. I think we have all heard those two voices, not with our ears, but =within= us. Let us always listen to the =good= voice--the =right= voice.

(Blackboard Sketch.)

Two voices:-- 1st. Good, says, "Obey," "Speak the truth".

2nd. Bad, says, "Disobey," "Tell untruth".