The Pleasing Instructor. [Machine readable transcription] Michigan State University Libraries, Digital Sources Center.The Library of Congress/Ameritech National Digital Library Competition.Michael Seadle, Michigan State University Libraries, Digital Sources Center. Conversion to TEI.2 conformant markup: Ruth Ann Jones, Michigan State University Libraries, Digital Sources Center. Amy Vance. Creation of machine-readable version: Kelley Newman. Cristina Bock. ca. 16 kilobytes Michigan State University Libraries, Digital Sources Center. 2001 East Lansing, Michigan Michigan State University Libraries, Digital Sources Center. Publicly accessible. URL: http://digital.lib.msu.edu/pleasinginstructor/plea.htm The text this electronic edition is based on was published before 1923 and is therefore in the public domain according to U.S. copyright law. Bound with Ann Lively and Her Bible, and Other Stories for Young Children The Pleasing Instructor Author unknown 16 p. American Tract Society 1830? This work is part of the collection "Shaping the Values of Youth: Sunday School Books in 19th Century America." The copies consulted in the creation of the electronic editions are owned by the Michigan State University Libraries and the Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University. The works have been encoded in Tei.2 conformant markup. They are being made publicly accessible as an educational resource. Line breaks have not been retained. All unambiguous end-of-line hyphens have been removed. In the case of unambiguous end-of-line hyphens which divide a word between two pages, the hyphen has been removed and the trailing part of the word has been joined to the last line of the preceding page. Library of Congress Subject Headings. date of changes corrector who made the changes what was done THE PLEASING INSTRUCTOR. An illustration of a birdnest in a tree, containing three baby birds. An adult bird is perched on the side of the nest to feed the chicks. -6- PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY. An illustration of two children in a bedroom. One is lying in bed rubbing his eyes, and the other sits on a low stool and reads a book. SUPPOSE two children go to bed at the same time every night, and one of them rises at six every morning, and the other not till eight. In forty years the difference would exceed twenty-nine thousand hours. How many things might be done or learned in such a number of hours. An illustration of a pretty girl resting both elbows on a large book. The book spine reads "HOLY BIBLE". Holy Bible, book divine, Precious treasure, thou art mine: Mine, to chide me when I rove; Mine, to tell the Saviour's love: Mine, to tell of joys to come, And the rebel sinner's doom: O thou precious book divine, Precious treasure, thou art mine. An illustration of a man and a girl in an outdoor setting. The girl is looking up at the man, holding one hand out toward him as though asking a question. The man is pointing to a thin tree that has been tied to a stake. "Why do you tie that bough to a stake?" I said to the gardener one day. "I do it," said he, "because I wish it to grow straight; and if I do not keep it bent this way for some time, it will grow crooked." This reminded me of what king Solomon says: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Two boys play on a frozen pond. One of them has slipped and fallen on the ice; his hat is flying off behind him. The other boy stretches a hand toward the first boy in concern. Two other boys can be seen in the background, standing by the edge of the pond and pointing. THE DANGER OF SINFUL COMPLIANCES He that once sins, like him that slides on ice, Goes quickly down the slipp'ry paths of vice: His conscience pricks him--but those rubs got o'er, He sins securely, and looks back no more. Beware of a conscience seared with a hot iron, and rendered hard. An illustration of two girls in a play room. The girl to the left appears to be throwing a tantrum; she is waving a doll in the air as though ready to throw it down to the ground and break it. The other girl looks a little scared, raising both hands in the air as though trying to prevent the other girl from harming the doll. Many little boys and girls have wicked habits and ill tempers, which are very disagreeable; how thankful they should be, if they have kind parents or teachers who try to take away these bad habits. A group of children play outside in front of a windmill. Three boys are grouped to the left side of the picture and are flying a kite; two girls in bonnets and a small dog are running through a field to the right. TOM. That is a fine large kite; I wish I could make such a one. CHARLES. I have just finished it, and what one boy can do, surely another can do also. Remember to try and try again, and you will succeed at last; but to say, "I can't," never did any thing yet. An illustration of David and Goliath. David stands next to the unconscious giant, holding his sling in his hand. By whom was David taught To aim the dreadful blow, When he Goliath fought, And laid the giant low? 'T was Israel's God and King That sent him to the fight, Who gave him strength to slay, And skill to aim aright. Ye youthful saints, your strength endures Because young David's God is yours. A fierce-looking lion stands over the body of a man. A donkey stands unperturbed in the background. See what an evil thing it is to be disobedient to God. The Prophet did that which God had told him not to do, and when he was on his way, riding upon an ass, a lion met him, and slew him; and his carcass was cast by the way, and the ass stood by it: the lion also stood by the carcass. Read 1 Kings, 13:24-30. An illustration of a young boy riding on the back of a large dog. Some dogs are always barking and snarling at people. But others are playful and kind, and will even allow little boys to ride upon their backs. How much happier little boys and girls are when they are kind to their playmates, and not peevish and discontented. Bad children, if they are old enough to know the sinfulness of their conduct, are in truth much worse than the dog. A group of four children is grouped around a low table, upon which an open book is propped open. The book's pages read "HOLY BIBLE". The largest child, a girl, is pointing toward the book's pages and looking up. Happy the children who betimes Have learned to know the Lord; Who, through his grace, escape the crimes Forbidden in his word. Should they be early hence removed, He will their souls receive; For those who Jesus here have loved, With him shall never live. A girl kneels in prayer next to an low table, on which rests an open book. This little girl is at prayer. I dare say she has good parents, who have taught her to fear and love God. How delightful it is to see children remember their Creator in the days of their youth. The Lord is good, the Lord is kind; Great is his grace, his mercy sure; And the whole race of man shall find His truth from age to age endure. A young girl sits on a table in front of a mirror. She lifts a lock of her hair as she gazes thoughtfully at her reflection; she appears to be about to cut it off with a pair of scissors she has taken from a sewing basket, which is also lying at the edge of the table. Are they not of wisdom void, Those who saunter unemployed, Young or old, who, foolish, play Their important time away? Sloth is the accursed root Whence ten thousand evils shoot; Every vice, and every sin, May with idleness begin. An illustration of a boy looking eagerly through a telescope. A globe is set in a stand to his left. We look through a telescope to see distant objects, and they appear near at hand; so the Bible enables us to see and understand about Heaven, and many other things, which we should otherwise remain ignorant of. An illustration of a boy curiously approaching two beehives. See how the little toiling bee Improves the harvest hours; While summer lasts, in all her cells Her winter food she stores. In youthful days seek grace divine, For youth of life's the prime; Best is this season for our work, And this th' accepted time. An illustration of a boy with a book in his hand and a baseball bat and ball near his feet. His arm is stretched toward the bat and ball as he turns away from them, as though he has just dropped them on the ground in favor of the book. Two other boys are playing with a kite in the background. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z &

The Pleasing Instructor. [Machine readable transcription]

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