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                       Songs for the Little Ones
                                at Home




[Illustration: Mother with children]




                         Songs for the Little
                             Ones at Home


                           _REVISED EDITION_

                           _350th Thousand_


                        AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY
                      150 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK


                     Copyright, 1884 and 1911, by
                        AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY




TABLE OF CONTENTS


                             PAGE

  HEART AND HEARTHSTONE         7

  HOUR BY HOUR                 47

  LITTLE POOR RELATIONS        81

  THE GREAT OUTDOORS          135

  ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN       175

  THE CHRIST CHILD            219

  HEROES AND PATRIOTS         231

  INDEX                       253




ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


Acknowledgments are made to Charles Scribner’s Sons for the use of _My
Shadow_, from A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSES:

To Houghton, Mifflin & Company for _The Leak in the Dike_, from THE
POEMS OF PHŒBE CARY:

To the American Book Company for _The Reindeer and the Rabbit_, from
the old MCGUFFEY SECOND ECLECTIC READER; and for _Young Soldiers_ and
_The Lord’s Prayer_, from the old MCGUFFEY THIRD ECLECTIC READER.

Thanks are also rendered to Mrs. Margaret E. Sangster for the use of
_Dear Little Heads in the Pew_; and to Professor Irsay de Irsa and
others for advice and encouragement.




HEART AND HEARTHSTONE


    Some precious words are born of earth,
      Some others by the angels given;
    But sweetest of celestial birth
      Are these: “My Mother,” “Home,” and “Heaven.”

[Music:
THE FATHER’S WILL

    Air, with bass accompaniment

    1. How sweet the home of Nazareth Where Mary mother smiled,
    And flow’rs of daily duty bloom’d About the holy Child.
    His Father’s will was all His task Within that earthly home,
    That will for ever done in Heav’n Whence He so late had come.

    2. Obedient, gentle, loving, meek, He worked at Joseph’s side;
    Does nothing from that daily toil Thro’ all the years abide?
    We scan the wide world o’er, nor find. In any clime or land,
    One single, sacred, treasured thing Wrought out by Jesus’ hand.

    3. But wheresoe’er a Christian child Does on the earth fulfil....
    With humble, rev’rent, tender heart The heav’nly Father’s will,
    The work, tho’ mean and poor to view With heav’nly grace is
        fraught,
    Since age to age it passes on The lesson Jesus taught.
]


HEART AND HEARTHSTONE


THE FATHER’S WILL

    How sweet the home of Nazareth,
      Where Mary mother smiled,
    And flowers of duty daily bloomed
      About the holy Child.

    His Father’s will was all his task
      Within that earthly home,
    The will forever done in heaven,
      Whence he so late had come.

    Obedient, gentle, loving, meek,
      He worked at Joseph’s side:
    Does nothing from that daily toil
      Through all the years abide?

    We scan the wide world o’er, nor find,
      In any clime or land,
    One single, sacred, treasured thing
      Wrought out by Jesus’ hand;

    But wheresoe’er a Christian child
      Does on the earth fulfil
    With humble, reverent, tender heart,
      The heavenly Father’s will,

    The work, though mean and poor to view,
      With heavenly grace is fraught,
    Since age to age it passes on
      The lesson Jesus taught.


WHEN FATHER COMES HOME

    When my father comes home in the evening from work,
      Then I will get up on his knee,
    And tell him how many nice lessons I’ve learned,
      And show him how good I can be.

    He’ll ask me what number I know how to count,
      I’ll tell him what words I can spell;
    And if I can learn something new every day,
      I hope soon to read very well.

[Illustration: Jesus, Mary and Joseph in carpenter’s shop]

    I’ll repeat to him all the good verses I know,
      And tell him how kind we must be,
    That we never must hurt little creatures at all;
      And he will be glad, and love me.

    I’ll tell him we always must try to please God,
      And never be cruel nor rude,
    For God is the Father of all living things,
      He cares for and blesses the good.


DEAR MAMMA

    My own mamma; my dear mamma!
      How happy shall I be
    To-morrow night at candlelight,
      When she comes home to me!

    ’