AN EASTERN SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP

From a photograph taken by W. J. Aitchison, Esq., of Hamilton, Canada, and used by his kind permission.

These sheep are feeding just outside Jerusalem. "All the plateaus east of the Jordan, and the mountains of Palestine and Syria, are pasture grounds for innumerable flocks and herds. In the spring there is plenty of grass. Later, when the rain has ceased, the sheep still nibble the dry herbage and stubble and flourish where, to a western eye, all is barren desert. They require water but once a day. The descendants of the same shepherds who tended the flocks in Bible days still occupy the great sheep walks of Palestine"

The shepherd named the sheep, and the sheep all knew him and loved him. They would follow him, but they would not follow a stranger. Because the people of the Bible land knew so much about the sheep and the shepherds, the writers of the Bible said a good deal about them. Now get the Bible and I will read you some of the things which it says about sheep."

Margaret brought the Bible, and mamma read first what Jesus said about himself as the good shepherd:--

"'Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.'

"'Jesus said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall go in and out, and shall find pasture. The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep. He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, {286} and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf snatcheth them, and scattereth them: he fleeth because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own know me, even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.'"

"This means, my dears," said mamma, "that Jesus cares for you and for all his children, just as a good and faithful shepherd cares for his sheep. The good shepherd brings his sheep safely home at night, and the porter, or keeper of the fold, opens the door and lets them in. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls each one by name and they follow him, but they will not follow a stranger."

"What does 'hireling' mean?" said Margaret.

"It means, dear," replied mamma, "one who is hired to care for the sheep, but who does not know them or love them as the good shepherd does."

"I know," said Harold; "it means that Jesus can take care of us better than anyone else."

"Yes," said mamma, "that is just what it means. And here is another story from the Bible, which Jesus told to show how very tenderly he loves and cares for his little ones":--

"'Jesus said, See that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. How think ye? If any man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and go unto the mountains and seek that which goeth astray?

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

By W. C. T. Dobson

"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep. He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf snatcheth them, and scattereth them: he fleeth because he is a hireling, and careth not for his sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own know me, even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and they shall become one flock, one shepherd."--The Words of Jesus

And if so be that he find it, verily, I say unto you, he rejoiceth over it more than over the ninety and nine which have not gone astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones shall perish.'"

"In the book of the Bible called the Psalms," continued mamma, "the twenty-third is often called the Shepherd Psalm."

"Oh, we know that psalm," said Margaret.

"Suppose," said mamma, "that one of the sheep in our picture could talk and think like you. Would he not wish to say something about his shepherd, very much like this psalm? The sheep would tell you how the shepherd led him to the green pastures, and let him rest by the brooks that flow gently through the meadows, and kept him safe in the valleys where no wild beasts were hiding to kill him, and put out his long staff to guide him and to help him up the steep paths of the hills. Now let us say the psalm together."

"Mamma," said Harold, "sheep don't eat at tables, or have cups."

"No," said mamma, smiling, "that shows us that, after all, this psalm is about a man, and not about a sheep. It means that when troubles and dangers are all about us God still gives all that we need. Sometime that will mean a great deal more to you than it does now."

"I don't understand," said Margaret, "about anointing the head with oil, and dwelling in the house of the Lord."

"In the Bible land," said mamma, "when a man wished to honor a guest whom he had invited to a feast, he poured out a little sweet-smelling oil upon his head. The psalm means that God makes his people, even when they are in the midst of danger, feel as happy as though they were honored guests at a feast. To dwell in the house of the Lord forever means that we are to feel always perfectly secure, as though we were living in God's own house, where nothing could ever harm us."

Harold thought a moment, and then he said, "I think that I know what all the stories about sheep in the Bible mean. They mean that people are like sheep, and they can't take care of themselves, but that God loves them very much, and that he will always take care of them."

"Yes, that is just it," said mamma, "and now! as it is {291} growing dark, let us sing that song which is the twenty-third psalm put into different words."

LITTLE BROTHERS OF THE AIR AND FIELDS

Margaret and Harold had learned to be kind to animals. They belonged to a "Band of Mercy," a company of boys and girls who were pledged never to be unkind to any dumb creature, and to rescue any poor beast who might be in distress or suffering cruel treatment. They had many chances to help poor dogs and cats which were being persecuted by cruel boys. One day they came home from school and told about a poor little kitten which they had protected when it was almost dead from fright. "That was very kind," said mamma, "and to-night I will read you some stories and poems about kindness to animals which I have been saving. Margaret and Harold played with their dog Sport and their big cat Spot until supper time. After supper they were ready for the stories and poems.

"Once upon a time," said mamma, "there lived a very good man who came to be known as St. Francis of Assisi. He was very kind to all birds and animals. He called the birds 'little brothers of the air' and the animals 'little brothers of the field and woods.' These stories are told about him:--

"'Once, full of joy, he was going on his way when, perceiving some flocks of birds, he turned aside a little from the road to go to them. Far from taking flight, they flocked around him as if to bid him welcome.

HEAD OF DOG

"Brother birds," he said to them, "you ought to praise and love your Creator very much. He has given you feathers for clothing, wings for flying, and all that is needful for you. He has made you the noblest of his creatures; he permits you to live in the pure air; you have neither to sow nor to reap, and yet he takes care of you, watches over you and guides you." Then the birds began to arch their necks, to spread out their wings, to open their beaks, to look at him, as if to thank him, while he went up and down in their midst stroking them with the border of his tunic, sending them away at last with his blessing.'

"'In this same tour, passing through Alviano, he began to preach to the people, but the swallows so filled the air with their chirping that he could not make himself heard. "It is my turn to speak," he said to them; "little swallow sisters, hearken to the word of God; keep silent and be very quiet until I have finished.'"

"'At Rieti a family of redbreasts were the guests of the monastery, and the young birds made marauding expeditions on the very table where the Brothers were eating. Not far from there, at Greccio, at another time, they brought to Francis a little rabbit that had been taken alive in a trap. "Come to me, Brother Rabbit," he said to it. And as the poor creature, being set free, ran to him for refuge, he took it up, caressed it, and finally put it on the ground that it might run away; but it returned to him again and again, so that he was obliged to send it to the neighboring forest before it would consent to return to freedom.'

"'One day he was crossing the Lake of Rieti. The boatman in whose bark he was making the passage offered him a fish of uncommon size. Francis accepted it with joy, but, to the great amazement of the fisherman, put it back into the water, bidding it bless God.'

"Here is a story which I once read about a very good and distinguished man who tells how he learned when he was a boy not to kill even the smallest animal needlessly.

"'I saw one day a little spotted turtle sunning itself in the shallow water, and I lifted the stick in my hand to kill it, for, though I had never killed any creature, I had seen other boys kill birds, squirrels, and the like, and I had a disposition to follow their wicked example; but all at once something checked my little arm, and a voice within me said, clear and loud, "It is wrong," and so I held my uplifted stick until the turtle vanished from my sight. Then I went home and told my mother, and asked her what it was that told me it was wrong. She wiped a tear from her eye, and took me in her arms, and said: "Some call it conscience, but I call it the voice of God in the human soul. If you listen to it and obey it, then it will speak clearer and clearer, and always guide you right. But if you do not listen to it, or disobey it, then it will fade out, little by little, and leave you in the dark without a guide. Your life, my child, depends on heeding that little voice."'

"And here are some poems which teach us to be gentle and kind to the dumb animals who depend upon us for life and look to us for mercy. The poet Cowper says:--

BOY AND DOG

By Blume

"Coleridge in a great poem, 'The Ancient Mariner,' which I will read to you when you are a little older, says:--

"And here are two verses whose author I do not know:--

"There is a poem by John Ruskin which speaks of that good time coming when cruelty shall cease and terrible wars shall be no more."

A SONG OF PEACE.

"That reminds us of what the prophet said about the time when all the beasts even shall lose their cruel traits and live at peace with each other, and even play with little children."

"Could that ever be true, mamma?" interrupted Harold.

ON GUARD

"Well, even now, my dear," replied mamma, "wild and fierce animals have been wholly tamed by kindness. We cannot tell what beautiful things might happen if all evil and unkindness should be driven from the world and men should live as Christ taught us to live.

"Here are the prophet's words: 'And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.'

"These verses are from the Psalms and the Proverbs:--

"'For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

"'I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.'

"'The merciful man doeth good to his own soul; but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.'

"'A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast; but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.'

"And here are some of the words of Jesus about animals and birds and about kindness:--

"'Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.'

"'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.'

"'The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.'

"'Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? Behold the birds of the heavens, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not of much more value than they?'

"'Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father; but the very hairs of your head are all numbered.'"

"And now it is late and my little lambs must go to their beds. I am sure that you both will be kind in every way to your little brothers of the air and the woods and fields, and your little dumb brothers in the streets of the city."

SHEPHERD HYMNS

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

By Bernard Plockhorst (1825- )

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers."

--The Words of Jesus

THE LOST LAMB FOUND

By P. Giradet

Sometimes in winter the sheep suffer greatly from the cold and heavy snowstorms. This is a description of sheep covered by the snow in winter:--

"The flock was buried Beneath a great white billow as high as a barn and as broad as a house. This great drift was rolling and curling beneath the violent blast, tufting and combing with rustling swirls, and carved as if patterns of cornice where the grooving-chisel of the wind swept round. Ever and again the tempest snatched little whiffs from the channeled edges, twirled them round and made them dance over the chine of the monster pile, then let them lie like herringbones or the seams of the sand where the tide has been. And all the while, from the smothery sky, more and more fiercely at every blast, came the pelting pitiless arrows winged with murky white and pointed with the barbs of the frost."--Blackmore

PRAYERS FOR LITTLE CHILDREN

PRAYERS FOR LITTLE CHILDREN

THE SOUL'S AWAKENING

By James Sant (1820- )

OLD TIME VERSES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN