Suppose your task, my little man, Is very hard to get, Will it make it any easier For you to sit and fret? And wouldn't it be wiser Than waiting like a dunce, To go to work in earnest And learn the thing at once?
Suppose the world doesn't please you, Nor the way some people do, Do you think the whole creation Will be altered just for you? And isn't it, my boy or girl, The wisest, bravest plan Whatever comes or doesn't come, To do the best you can? --PHOEBE CARY.
The air for the wing of the sparrow, The bush for the robin and wren, But always the path that is narrow And straight, for the children of men. --ALICE CARY.
The leaves are fading and falling, The winds are rough and wild, The birds have ceased their calling, But let me tell you, my child,
Though day by day, as it closes, Doth darker and colder grow, The roots of the bright red roses Will keep alive in the snow.
And when the winter is over, The boughs will get new leaves, The quail come back to the clover, And the swallow back to the eaves.
The robin will wear on his bosom A vest that is bright and new, And the loveliest wayside blossom Will shine with the sun and dew.
So, when some dear joy loses Its beauteous summer glow, Think how the roots of the roses Are kept alive in the snow. --ALICE CARY.
haste remained different gentle spread orchard delighted cotton bodies paddled ornaments natives
[Illustration: Columbus in the New World.]
When Columbus reached the New World, he landed on a beautiful green island. He tells us that the island was covered with trees like an orchard. The trees and the flowers and the fruits were different from any that he had ever seen before.
All day he remained on shore with his men. They were delighted with the warm air, the clear streams, the bright flowers, and the fresh fruit.
The natives were friendly and gentle. They wore no clothes, but their bodies were painted with many colors. They came near the strangers and seemed to wonder at their white faces.
Some of the natives wore rings of gold in their noses and ears. Columbus tried to learn from them where they had found the gold. They pointed to the south and said "Cuba." By signs they led him to believe that Cuba was a land where there was much gold.