Secure if possible the picture of this modern miracle man and tell the story of his discoveries. Secure an electric wire, an electric lamp, and a phonograph record. Explain that he was a "light" man, not that he created light, but he knew how to make men see it. So we should all be light-givers. The light is locked up in God's wonderful battery, the Great Bible. We are the wires; if we let God's truth current shine through us the world will see God's light. We are living epistles known and read of all men because they see in us God's light.
Washington's Birthday. February 22
Read as the Bible lesson 1 Samuel 18:5-16.
Secure a toy hatchet and tell the story of the cherry tree. Secure a colonial hat and tell the story of Washington's soldier days. Secure an old colonial flag, that is, thirteen Stars and Bars, and tell the story of our first national struggle.
Longfellow's Birthday. February 27
As the Scripture lesson read Psalm 95.
As an example of poetic beauty, also read Psalm 96; it contains the same strong lines. Secure his picture if possible. Give a short reading from his poetic work. Call attention to the fact that the Bible gave him the master type of the highest class poetry.
Ash Wednesday
Read Matthew 6:16-21, which will give the Bible idea of fasting. Secure a piece of purple goods, which stands for a penitential heart. Every day should be Ash Wednesday; that is, it should be confession day, for every day brings its load of sins, and the thing to do with them is to confess them; this makes every day Ash Wednesday. Write the word "Sin" on a card, and say if we bring our sins to God and confess them he will forgive and cast them behind his back. As you say these words drop behind your back the card with "Sins" marked upon it. This was the way the ancient kings did when they were forgiving the criminal. They tore up the charges and cast the torn parts behind their backs, which meant there was nothing against the offender now. This was the way a little boy made Ash Wednesday out of Christmas. It was a cold and snowy day. The ice was thick in the middle of the streets where the horses were trying to walk, but many of them were falling because of the slippery places. So the little fellow felt "sorry for the poor horses" as he expressed it; he therefore slipped out of the house with a box of ashes, and covered the ice with the ashes; after this the horses would not slip. That was Ash Christmas, The truest Ash Wednesday lasts through every day of the year.
St. Patrick's Day. March 17