TO THE CHILDREN As you are all sitting quietly at work in your schoolroom this morning, suppose a gentle tap should come at your door and you should see standing there a pleasant looking visitor who might be a stranger to you but whom your teacher might know very well. She would probably invite him to come in, and she might, perhaps, ask him to speak a few words to the children. Then, if he should tell you an interesting and instructive story or sing for you a charming song, showing you in every way that he wished to please you and to be your friend, I am sure you would be delighted and would listen attentively to all he should say. Now this little book has been invited by your teacher to come in and to tell you many things which she thinks you will be glad to know. I hope very much that it will please you and will prove to be a true friend. You will find here stories of many kinds: tales of adventure and of fairyland, true stories about countries far away and about the people in those foreign lands, about places in your own country which, perhaps, you have never seen, about boys and girls like you, and about famous men and women, who have lived noble lives for God and for their fellow-men and whose memory will always be loved and honored because of the good which they have done. You will find, too, many beautiful poems, which are like the songs the stranger would sing for you. These poems will not be hard to understand. You can readily catch the swing of the rhythm, and you will enjoy them as you enjoy music. I hope you will like all the stories in your book not only for the stories themselves, but also for the meaning in them, for the thoughts they will bring to your mind. 5 |