Chapter XVII: Part II: Selected Stories to Tell (4)

And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, that they may be fruitful and multiply upon the earth.

And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him: every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, went forth out of the ark.

And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord.

The Rainbow of Promise[37]

And the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

And God blessed Noah and his sons. And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; and with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of covenant between me and the earth.

And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years.

The Story of David[38]

More than two thousand years ago, there was a great battle in the land of Palestine. At that time, Saul was king of Israel, and the battle was fought between the Israelites and the Philistines, their enemies. Now, the Israelites worshiped God or Jehovah, while the Philistines worshiped images of wood and stone.

And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side; and the ravine was between them.

And as the armies were drawn up for battle, there stepped out from the ranks of the Philistines a champion named Goliath. He was a giant in stature, and he was clothed in a corselet of scales, with a helmet of bronze upon his head. His spear was like a weaver’s beam—and a shield-bearer went before him.

And Goliath stood and cried to the people of Israel, “I have come forth to defy the army of Israel. Choose ye a man who shall come and fight with me. If he slays me, then will the Philistines be your servants, but if I slay him, then shall ye be the servants of the Philistines.”

Then were the Israelites dismayed, and no man dared go forth to fight with Goliath.

Every night and every morning for forty days, Goliath came forth and challenged the army of Israel, and no man dared go forth to fight him.

At this same time, away off among the hills of Bethlehem, there was a young man named David, who was tending his father’s sheep. He was a shepherd lad, but ruddy, and of a beautiful appearance. His father’s name was Jesse. Now, Jesse’s three older sons were in the army of Saul, but David, the youngest, cared for the sheep. He loved the country about Bethlehem, and he had many beautiful thoughts while watching over the sheep that he loved.

But one day his father called him away from the sheep pastures, and sent him to see his brothers, and to bring back a message from them, for he was anxious about their welfare. And he gave him parched corn and ten loaves as a gift for them.

So David journeyed to where his brothers were, and when he reached them, the armies were drawn up, the Philistines on one mountain, and the Israelites on the other, with the ravine between. And as David reached the place, he saw Goliath, coming forth to challenge the army of Israel, as he had done for forty days.

And when David heard Goliath’s words, and saw that all the army of Israel was dismayed, he was filled with indignation, and he asked, “Who is this Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

And David’s words were repeated to Saul, and Saul sent for David, and David told Saul that he would go forth and fight with Goliath.

Then said Saul, “But thou art but a youth, and this is a man of war.”

Then David answered, “I have slain with my hands both a lion and a bear, when they came to destroy a lamb of my flock. And I can also slay this Philistine, for Jehovah, who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and of the bear, will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.”

And Saul said to David, “Go, and Jehovah be with thee.” And he would have put his armor upon David, but David refused it, and taking his staff in his hand, he chose five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in the pocket of the shepherd’s bag which he wore. Then with his sling in his hand, he advanced to meet Goliath.

But when Goliath saw David, he exclaimed, “Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with a staff? Come on, then, and I will give thy flesh to the fowls of the heavens and to the beasts of the field.”

And David answered, “Thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear, but I come to thee in the name of Jehovah of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will Jehovah deliver thee into my hand, and all the earth shall know that Israel has a God.”

And David put his hand into his bag and drew forth a stone and put it into his sling and he slung it; and it struck the Philistine in the forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.

And the army of Israel arose and shouted, and the Philistines became the servants of Israel, and great honors were heaped upon David.

Some years after this, at the death of Saul, David became king of Israel, but he never forgot his days upon the hills of Bethlehem, when he tended his father’s sheep; and he was called the “Shepherd King.”

After he had become king, David wrote many beautiful songs or psalms, and one of the most beautiful of them all is the twenty-third psalm, which shows that even when all the glory and honor of being a king were his, he loved to think of himself as one of the sheep over whom the Lord watched as a shepherd.

The Twenty-third Psalm

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

FOOTNOTES

[4] From _The Angler’s Reveille_, by Henry van Dyke.—By permission of Charles Scribner’s Sons.

[5] From _Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes_. Translated by Isaac T. Headland. By permission of Fleming H. Revell Company.

[6] From _Firelight Stories_, by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (Milton Bradley Company). By permission of the author and publishers.

[7] Jane Arnold, in _American Motherhood_. By permission of the publishers.

[8] From _Aesop’s Fables_; adapted by D. L. Graves in _American Motherhood_. By permission of the author and publishers.

[9] This story, reprinted by permission from the second book of the series of _Jones Readers_ (Ginn and Company), is an especially good type of story to tell to small children, since it is full of action and of conversation, two features which they particularly enjoy, and its lesson of forethought is made very plain through the development of the story itself.

[10] By Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, in _Firelight Stories_ (Milton Bradley Company). By permission of the author and publishers.

[11] From _Queer Little People_, by Harriet Beecher Stowe (Houghton, Mifflin Company). By permission of the publishers. (Abridged.)

[12] By Margaret and Clarence Weed, in _St. Nicholas_. By permission of the authors and publishers.

[13] English Folk-tale.

[14] Original adaptation of an old legend.

[15] Original adaptation of Old Folk-tale.

[16] An Ojibway legend from _Wigwam Stories_, by Mary Catherine Judd (Ginn and Company). By permission of the author and publishers.

[17] Original adaptation of an old legend.

[18] Schoolcraft. From _Wigwam Stories_, by Mary Catherine Judd (Ginn and Company). By permission of the author and publishers.

[19] By Grace MacGowan Cooke, in the _Delineator_. By permission of the author and the publishers.

[20] Chippewa. From _Wigwam Stories_, by Mary Catherine Judd (Ginn and Company). By permission of author and publishers.

[21] Original adaptation from the folk-lore of South Slavonia. There is another and different version of “Why the Dog and Cat Are Enemies” under the title, “The Enchanted Wine Jug,” in _Stories to Tell_ (A. Flanagan Company), compiled by the author of this book. Stories of animals are always of interest to children, and the more familiar the animals the greater the child’s interest in the story. These two versions of the above story, I have found are not generally known to either teachers or children, for they seem to have been generally overlooked in the many collections of folk-tales.

[22] From _Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest_, by Katharine B. Judson (A. C. McClurg & Co.). (Abridged.)

[23] By Frances Margaret Fox in _Little Folks_ (S. E. Cassino Company). By permission of the publishers.

[24] Abridged from _Jolly Calle_, by Helena Nyblom (J. M. Dent and Sons, London).

[25] From _Stories from Old English Romance_, by Joyce Pollard (Frederick A. Stokes Company). By permission of the publishers. (Abridged.)

[26] From stories of _Norse Heroes_, by E. M. Wilmot-Buxton (Thomas Y. Crowell Company). By permission of the publishers. (Abridged.)

[27] Adapted from Greek mythology.

[28] By David Ker, in _St. Nicholas_. By permission of the publishers.

[29] Abridged from _Further Adventures of Nils_, by Selma Lagerlof (Doubleday, Page and Company). By permission of the publishers.

[30] By Mrs. John Lane, in _St. Nicholas_. By permission of the author and publishers.

[31] By Julia Darrow Cowles, in _St. Nicholas_. By permission of the publishers.

[32] By A. Gertrude Maynard, in _Kindergarten Review_. By permission of the publishers.

[33] By Phila Butler Bowman, in _Kindergarten Review_. By permission of the publishers.

[34] Genesis vi, 5-22.

[35] Genesis vii.

[36] Genesis viii.

[37] Genesis viii, 21, 22; ix, 1, 8-15, 28, 29.

[38] First Samuel xvii. (Adapted.)

INDEX OF SELECTED STORIES

PAGE

ADDER THAT DID NOT HEAR, THE _Old Fable adapted_ 149

ARK, THE _Bible_ 251

BIRDIE WITH A YELLOW BILL _Robert Louis Stevenson_ 6

COBBLER, THE _Old Tale adapted_ 154

COMING OF ARTHUR, THE _Richard Thomas Wyche_ 75

COUNTRY CAT, THE _Grace MacGowan Cooke_ 159

DAVID _Bible_ 257

FISHERMAN, THE _Aesop Fable_ 55

FOUNTAIN, THE _James Russell Lowell_ 54

FLOOD, THE _Bible_ 252

GOLD BUGS, THE _Carolyn Sherwin Bailey_ 128

GOOD KING, THE _Margaret and Clarence Weed_ 137

HISTORY OF TIP-TOP, THE _Harriet Beecher Stowe_ 131

HOLD-FAST TOM _Daniel Ker_ 210

HONEST WOODMAN, THE _Aesop Fable_ 123

HOW THE QUEEN OF THE SKY GAVE GIFTS
TO MEN _E. M. Wilmot-Buxton_ 200

JAPANESE LULLABY 5

JERICHO BOB _Mrs. John Lane_ 226

JERUSALEM ARTIE’S CHRISTMAS DINNER _Julia Darrow Cowles_ 234

KING MIDAS’ EARS _Greek Myth adapted_ 205

KING OF THE FROGS _Old Tale adapted_ 147

LEGEND OF THE ARBUTUS _Mary Catherine Judd_ 162

LESSON OF FAITH, A _Mrs. Gatty_ 8

LITTLE BALDHEAD, THE _Chinese Mother Goose_ 114

LITTLE BOY WHO FORGOT TO WASH HIS
HANDS, THE _Jane Arnold_ 120

LITTLE SISTER KINDNESS AND THE
LOVING STITCHES _Margaret Fox_ 174

MY BED IS A BOAT _Robert Louis Stevenson_ 7

MISER OF TAKHOMA, THE _Katharine Berry Judson_ 168

NILS AND THE BEAR _Selma Lagerlof_ 218

NORTH STAR, THE _Mary Catherine Judd_ 152

OLIVE LEAF, THE _Bible_ 254

OPECHEE, THE ROBIN REDBREAST _Mary Catherine Judd_ 156

PAT-A-CAKE, PAT-A-CAKE _Mother Goose_ 52

PAT, PAT _Chinese Mother Goose_ 52

PLOWMAN WHO FOUND CONTENT, THE _Old Tale adapted_ 141

PUSSY WILLOWS _Henry van Dyke_ 53

QUEEN’S NECKLACE, THE _Helena Nyblom_ 180

RAINBOW OF PROMISE, THE _Bible_ 256

ROBIN’S CAROL, THE _Henry van Dyke_ 113

ROBIN HOOD AND SIR
RICHARD-AT-THE-LEE _Joyce Pollard_ 191

ROBIN’S CHRISTMAS _A. Gertrude Maynard (Old
legend retold)_ 240

SLEEP, LITTLE PIGEON _Eugene Field_ 5

STORY OF ITHENTHIELA _Abbie Farwell Brown and
James M. Bell_ 60

TABBY AND THE MICE _Old Tale adapted_ 126

TALE OF THE CHRIST CHILD _Phila Butler Bowman_ 246

TWENTY-THIRD PSALM _Bible_ 261

WHY THE BEAR SLEEPS ALL WINTER _Carolyn Sherwin Bailey_ 115

WHY THE DOG CANNOT ENDURE THE CAT _Old Tale adapted_ 165

TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES

PAGE

RHYMES FOR MOTHERS

THE ROBIN’S CAROL 113

THE LITTLE BALDHEAD 114

JAPANESE LULLABY 5

BIRDIE WITH A YELLOW BILL 6

PAT, PAT 52

THE FOUNTAIN (introduction to) 54

PUSSY WILLOWS 53

PAT-A-CAKE, PAT-A-CAKE 52

FABLES AND FOLK-LORE

THE FISHERMAN 55

LEGEND OF THE ARBUTUS 162

WHY THE BEAR SLEEPS ALL WINTER 115

THE COUNTRY CAT 159

THE HONEST WOODMAN 123

THE NORTH STAR 152

THE COBBLER 154

TABBY AND THE MICE 126

OPECHEE, THE ROBIN REDBREAST 156

KING OF THE FROGS 147

THE ADDER THAT DID NOT HEAR 149

WHY THE DOG CANNOT ENDURE THE CAT 165

THE MISER OF TAKHOMA 168

THE PLOWMAN WHO FOUND CONTENT 141

FAIRY STORIES

LITTLE SISTER KINDNESS 174

THE QUEEN’S NECKLACE 180

ETHICAL STORIES

THE GOLD BUGS 128

THE HISTORY OF TIP-TOP 131

THE LITTLE BOY WHO FORGOT TO WASH HIS HANDS 120

THE COUNTRY CAT 159

THE HONEST WOODMAN 123

THE ADDER THAT DID NOT HEAR 149

THE MISER OF TAKHOMA 168

THE PLOWMAN WHO FOUND CONTENT 141

LITTLE SISTER KINDNESS 174

THE QUEEN’S NECKLACE 180

MYTH AND HERO-TALE

ROBIN HOOD AND SIR RICHARD-AT-THE-LEE 191

THE COMING OF ARTHUR 75

STORY OF ITHENTHIELA 60

HOW THE QUEEN OF THE ANT GAVE GIFTS TO MEN 200

KING MIDAS’ EARS 205

HOLD-FAST TOM (modern) 210

NILS AND THE BEAR (modern) 218

STORIES FOR SPECIAL DAYS

A LESSON OF FAITH (Easter) 8

JERICHO BOB (Thanksgiving) 226

ROBIN’S CHRISTMAS 240

JERUSALEM ARTIE’S CHRISTMAS DINNER 234

A TALE OF THE CHRIST CHILD 246

BIBLE STORIES

STORY OF DAVID 257

STORY OF THE ARK 251

STORY OF THE FLOOD 252

THE OLIVE LEAF 254

RAINBOW OF PROMISE 256

TWENTY-THIRD PSALM 261

BOOKS FOR THE STORY-TELLER

All of the following books contain excellent material for the story-teller. While some of the stories are not perfectly adapted in form for telling, the best of them can be used with comparatively little change.

The list is not by any means comprehensive, but the books mentioned will abundantly reward the story-teller’s search.

MELODIES AND FOLK TALES

MOTHER GOOSE MELODIES—_edited by W. A. Wheeler_
CHINESE MOTHER GOOSE RHYMES—_translated by Isaac T. Headland_
ENGLISH FOLK TALES—_Jacobs_
BOOK OF FOLK STORIES—_Scudder_
LULLABY LAND—_Eugene Fields_
CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSE—_R. L. Stevenson_
NONSENSE RHYMES—_Edward Lear_

ETHICAL STORIES

PARABLES FROM NATURE—_Mrs. Gatty_
FIRELIGHT STORIES—_Carolyn Sherwin Bailey_
FOR THE CHILDREN’S HOUR—_Carolyn Sherwin Bailey_
MURRAY’S STORY LAND

NATURE STORIES

THE WONDERFUL ADVENTURES OF NILS—_Selma Lagerlof_
FURTHER ADVENTURES OF NILS—_Selma Lagerlof_
TRUE BIRD STORIES—_Olive Thorne Miller_
THE JUNGLE BOOK—_Kipling_
SECRETS OF THE WOODS—_W. J. Long_
TRUE TALES OF BIRDS AND BEASTS—_David Starr Jordan_

TRUE HERO STORIES

ADVENTURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS—_Tappan_
AMERICAN HERO STORIES—_Tappan_
EUROPEAN HERO STORIES—_Tappan_
HEROES EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW—_Mabie_
ST. NICHOLAS—_in bound volumes_

FAIRY TALES AND FOLK LORE

HOUSEHOLD FAIRY TALES—_Grimm_
ANDERSON’S FAIRY TALES—_translated by Mrs. E. Lucas_
FAIRY TALES FROM PERRAULT—_translated by S. R. Littleton_
AESOP’S FABLES—_Jacobs_
THE GOLDEN SPEARS—_Edmund Leamy_ (Irish Fairy Tales)
IN FAIRY-LAND—_Louey Chisholm_
JAPANESE FAIRY TALES—_Williston_
UNCLE REMUS—_Joel Chandler Harris_
TWILIGHT FAIRY TALES—_Maud Ballington Booth_
BLUE FAIRY BOOK—_Lang_
JOLLY CALLE—_Helena Nyblom_ (Swedish Fairy Tales)

HISTORY AND LEGEND

BOYS’ KING ARTHUR—_Lanier_
KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS—_M. L. Warren_
MERRY ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD—_Howard Pyle_
SOME GREAT STORIES AND HOW TO TELL THEM—_Wyche_
HALF A HUNDRED HERO TALES—_Storr_
STORY OF SIEGFRIED—_Baldwin_
FIFTY FAMOUS STORIES RETOLD—_Baldwin_
STORIES OF HEROIC DEEDS—_Johonnot_
VIKING TALES—_Hall_
WONDER TALES FROM WAGNER—_Anna Chapin_
TRUE STORY BOOK—_Lang_
STORIES FROM OLD ENGLISH ROMANCE—_Joyce Pollard_

MYTHOLOGICAL STORIES

NORSE STORIES RETOLD—_Mabie_
STORIES OF NORSE HEROES—_Wilmot-Buxton_
AGE OF FABLE—_Bulfinch_
THE WONDER BOOK—_Hawthorne_
TANGLEWOOD TALES—_Hawthorne_
STORY OF THE ILIAD—_Church_
AENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS—_Church_
NATURE MYTHS—_Holbrook_
MYTHS OF NORTHERN LANDS—_Guerber_

NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN STORIES

WIGWAM STORIES—_Mary C. Judd_
MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST—_Katharine B. Judson_
INDIAN FAIRY TALES—_Mary Hazelton Wade_
BEHIND THE DARK PINES—_Martha Young_
TALES OF THE RED CHILDREN—_Brown and Bell_

In addition to the above, comprehensive lists of books for story-tellers may be secured from the librarians of nearly all the large city libraries for a merely nominal cost, and in some cases without charge except for postage.