He that would thrive must rise at five;
He that hath thriven may lie till seven.

Cock crows in the morning to tell us to rise,
And he who lies late will never be wise;
For early to bed and early to rise

Is the way to be healthy and wealthy and wise.

LITTLE FRED

When little Fred
Was called to bed,
He always acted right;

He kissed Mama,

And then Papa,

And wished them all good-night.

He made no noise,

Like naughty boys,

But gently up the stairs

Directly went,

When he was sent,

And always said his prayers.

POLITENESS

Good little boys should never say
"I will," and "Give me these;"

O, no! that never is the way,
But "Mother, if you please."

And "If you please," to Sister Ann
Good boys to say are ready;
And, "Yes, sir," to a Gentleman,
And, "Yes, ma'am," to a Lady.

Elizabeth Turner

REBECCA'S AFTER-THOUGHT

Yesterday, Rebecca Mason,
In the parlor by herself,
Broke a handsome china basin,
Placed upon the mantel-shelf.

Quite alarmed, she thought of going
Very quietly away,

Not a single person knowing,

Of her being there that day.

But Rebecca recollected

She was taught deceit to shun; And the moment she reflected, Told her mother what was done;

Who commended her behavior,

Loved her better, and forgave her.

Elizabeth Turner

KINDNESS TO ANIMALS

Little children, never give

Pain to things that feel and live;

Let the gentle robin come

For the crumbs you save at home,

As his meat you throw along
He'll repay you with a song;
Never hurt the timid hare
Peeping from her green grass lair,
Let her come and sport and play
On the lawn at close of day;
The little lark goes soaring high
To the bright windows of the sky,

Singing as if 'twere always spring,
And fluttering on an untired wing,-
Oh! let him sing his happy song,
Nor do these gentle creatures wrong.

I've plucked the berry from the bush,
The brown nut from the tree,
But heart of happy little bird
Ne'er broken was by me.

I saw them in their curious nests,
Close crouching, slyly peer

With their wild eyes, like glittering beads,
To note if harm were near;

I passed them by, and blessed them all;
I felt that it was good

To leave unmoved the creatures small,
Whose home was in the wood.

And here, even now, above my head,
A lusty rogue doth sing;

He pecks his swelling breast and neck,
And trims his little wing.

He will not fly; he knows full well,
While chirping on that spray,

I would not harm him for the world,
Or interrupt his lay.

Sing on, sing on, blithe bird! and fill
My heart with summer gladness;
It has been aching many a day,
With measures full of sadness!

William Motherwell

"I LIKE LITTLE PUSSY"

I like little Pussy,

Her coat is so warm;
And if I don't hurt her

She'll do me no harm.

So I'll not pull her tail,
Nor drive her away,
But Pussy and I

Very gently will play;

She shall sit by my side,

And I'll give her some food;

And she'll love me because
I am gentle and good.

I'll pat little Pussy,

And then she will purr,
And thus show her thanks
For my kindness to her;

I'll not pinch her ears,

Nor tread on her paw,
Lest I should provoke her
To use her sharp claw;
I never will vex her,

Nor make her displeased,

For Pussy can't bear

To be worried or teased.

Jane Taylor

THE LITTLE GENTLEMAN

Take your meals, my little man,
Always like a gentleman;

Wash your face and hands with care,

Change your shoes, and brush your hair;

Then so fresh, and clean and neat,

Come and take your proper seat;
Do not loiter and be late,
Making other people wait;
Do not rudely point or touch:
Do not eat and drink too much:
Finish what you have, before
You even ask, or send for more:
Never crumble or destroy

Food that others might enjoy;
They who idly crumbs will waste
Often want a loaf to taste!
Never spill your milk or tea,
Never rude or noisy be;

Never choose the daintiest food,
Be content with what is good:
Seek in all things that you can
To be a little gentleman.

WHOLE DUTY OF CHILDREN

A child should always say what's true
And speak when he is spoken to,
And behave mannerly at table;
At least as far as he is able.

Robert Louis Stevenson