"A merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us.'

"God bless us every one!" said Tiny Tim, the last of all.

NOTES AND QUESTIONS

CHARLES DICKENS.

How many members in the Cratchit family? What day were they celebrating? What were Mrs. Cratchit and Belinda doing? Who tended to the potatoes? How did he know when they were done? Why did the two younger Cratchits rush into the house? Why was Martha late? Who brought Tiny Tim? Where had they been? What did Tiny Tim say to his father when they came out of church? Tell how the goose was prepared. What came after the goose?

Bob Cratchit say about the pudding?

This is a good story to dramatize.

What did

Charles Dickens (1812-1870), an English writer and novelist, was born at Portsmouth, England.

WHAT HAVE I?

The Shepherds had an Angel,
The Wise Men had a Star,

But what have I, a little child,
To guide me home from far,
Where glad stars sing together

And singing angels are?

- CHRISTINA ROSSETTI.

GUARDIAN ANGEL

font

patron elements sponsor

My oldest friend, mine from the hour
When first I drew my breath;

My faithful friend, that shall be mine,
Unfailing till the death.

No Patron saint, nor Mary's love,

The dearest and the best,

rescued

Has known my being, as thou hast known,
And blest, as thou hast blest.

Thou wast my sponsor at the font,
And thou, each budding year,

Didst whisper elements of truth
Into my childish ear.

Oh! who of all thy toils and cares
Can tell the tale complete,

To place me under Mary's smile,
And Peter's royal feet!

And thou wilt hang about my bed,
When life is ebbing low;

Of debt, impatience, and of gloom,
The jealous, sleepless foe.

So pray, that, rescued from the storm
Of heaven's eternal ire,

I may lie down, then rise again,

stanza.

Whom does the poet call his faithful friend? What does the Guardian Angel do? Explain the third line in the third What will the Guardian Angel do when we are dying? What request does the poet make to the Guardian Angel? Have the children give the meaning of consigned, sponsor, font, elements, ire.

John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890), one of the most eminent writers of English prose, was born in London, England.

To the cradle bough of a naked tree,
Benumbed with ice and snow,

A Christmas dream brought suddenly
A birth of mistletoe.

The shepherd stars from their fleecy cloud
Strode out on the night to see;

The Herod north-wind blustered loud
To rend it from the tree.

But the old year took it for a sign,
And blessed it in his heart:

"With prophecy of peace divine,
Let now my soul depart."

REV. JOHN B. TABB.

Many, many years ago, after the time of Cain and Abel, the people became very wicked. They lost sight of their duties to God, and committed all kinds of sin and crime.

When God saw that there was so much evil in the hearts of men, He said: "I will destroy man whom I have created; yea, more, I will destroy the beasts of the fields, the creeping things, and the fowls of the air."

But among all these wicked and sinful people, there was a just man called Noe.

God told him to build an ark, and to cover it inside and out with pitch.

The length of the ark was three hundred cubits, its breadth was fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

It was three stories high with many little

* Noe is sometimes spelled Noah.