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diff --git a/11099-0.txt b/11099-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b01a087 --- /dev/null +++ b/11099-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,784 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11099 *** + +Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this + file which includes the original illustrations. + See 11099-h.htm or 11099-h.zip: + (http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/1/1/0/9/11099/11099-h/11099-h.htm) + or + (http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/1/1/0/9/11099/11099-h.zip) + + + + +MORE SEEDS OF KNOWLEDGE; +OR, ANOTHER PEEP AT CHARLES. + +BEING, AN ACCOUNT OF +CHARLES'S PROGRESS IN LEARNING. +ABOUT BLACK SLAVES; +A CONVERSATION ON HISTORY; AND +MISSIONARIES. + +BY MISS JULIA CORNER. + +EMBELLISHED WITH SEVEN ELEGANT COLOURED ENGRAVINGS. + +LONDON: + + + + + +[Illustration: THE INCA'S SURPRISE AT SEEING A WATCH.] + + + + +MORE SEEDS OF KNOWLEDGE; +OR, +ANOTHER PEEP AT CHARLES. + + + + +CHAP. I. + + +CHARLES'S PROGRESS IN LEARNING. + +You have heard a great deal about Charles in the Seeds of Useful +Knowledge; perhaps you would like to hear a little more about him; for, +as he was never tired of learning good things, I might fill many books, +if I were to speak of every thing that his papa and mamma taught him. +But I dare say all the boys and girls who read this, have kind parents +or friends who teach them, as well as Charles's papa and mamma taught +him; so I will only mention such things as they may not perhaps yet have +heard. + +But first of all, I must tell you what Charles has been doing, since you +heard of him last. He was now a year older than he was then, and he was +also wiser, for he could write pretty well, and read without spelling +the long words; he knew the multiplication table, and the pence table +too; and could do sums in multiplication without a mistake, when he took +pains; but sometimes, when he was careless, or in a hurry, the sums were +wrong: however, I am happy to say that did not happen very often. +Besides all these things, Charles learned grammar, and geography, and +could decline many Latin nouns; which was very well for a little boy not +quite seven years old. But of all his lessons he liked geography best, +he liked to find out places in the maps, and to know whereabouts the +different countries were that he heard people talk of; and then his papa +was often kind to tell him amusing stories about the inhabitants of +those countries, and he also told him what things are brought from them: +for instance, Charles knew that tea grows in China, which is in Asia; +and sugar in the West-Indies; that the rose-wood that his mamma's chairs +and card tables were made of, grew in a country called Brazil in South +America; and that the raisins in the plum-pudding on Christmas day, were +dried grapes, and came from Spain. + +"Papa," said Charles one night, when he was, as usual, telling his papa +what he had done in the course of the day,--"I wish I might learn more +geography, instead of any grammar; I like it so much better: I like +geography very much, but I do not like grammar at all." + +"What is your objection to grammar, Charles?" said his papa. + +"Oh, why--there is nothing amusing in it." + +"And do you not think there is some other reason for learning, besides +being amused?" + +"Yes; I think we learn that we may grow wise; but I don't want to leave +off learning, papa; I only want to learn something else, instead of +grammar?" + +Mr. Barber laughed, and told Charles, that no other kind of knowledge +would be of much use to him without grammar, since nothing else would +teach him to speak or write like a gentleman. + +"Don't I speak like a gentleman now, papa?" + +"You speak pretty well for a little boy, my dear; but you often make +mistakes, which we think nothing of now, because we know that when you +have learnt a little more grammar, you will know better; but if you were +to make such mistakes when you are a man, you would be thought an +ignorant person, and not be treated with respect." + +"Can you tell me of any mistakes I make now papa?" + +[Illustration: LITTLE CHARLES LEARNING GEOGRAPHY.] + +"Oh yes, I think I could very soon tell you of a great many. Just now, +when you were standing at the window, I heard you say,--'There goes two +white horses!' now that was a very great blunder, Charles." + +"Was it, papa;--why?" + +"Because it showed that you did not know the difference between singular +and plural." + +"But I do know the difference--singular means one thing, and plural +means more than one." + +"Exactly, so now try to find out the blunder." + +Charles repeated the words two or three times, "there goes two white +horses;" but he could not find out what was wrong, and after puzzling +for a long while, he was obliged to give it up, and his papa +said,--"Suppose you had been talking about those horses before you saw +them go by, should you have said, 'there they goes?'" "No," said Charles. + +"I should have said--'there they go.'" + +"And why should you have said so?" + +"Because it is not right to say--'there they goes'; nobody says so, but +very ignorant people indeed; I heard the butcher's boy say so one day; +but then, you know, he is a poor ignorant boy and I dare say has never +learnt any thing." + +"How did you know that he was an ignorant boy, Charles?" + +"I knew it by his speaking wrong, papa." + +"Then you see it was true what I told you that if you speak wrong, +people will directly think you are an ignorant person, as you thought +the butcher's boy." + +"But I should never say, 'there they goes,'" said Charles, "I know +better than that." + +"Ah, Charles," said his papa, "you must learn a little more grammar, and +then you will know that you made exactly the same blunder as the +butcher's boy, when you said, 'there _goes_ two white horses,' you +should have said, 'there _go_ two white horses.'" + +"Should I? I did not know that," said Charles. + +"Which shews how necessary it is, that you should learn grammar, my +boy, and then you will know that go is plural, and goes is singular, so +that if you are speaking of more than one horse, it is proper to say go, +because we say, 'they go;' but if you are speaking of only one, it is +proper to say goes, because we should say, 'he goes.'" + +"Thank you, papa, I think I shall remember that, and I will not wish to +leave off grammar, for I see that geography would not teach me to speak +properly; and I should not like to be thought an ignorant man when I +grow up." + +"I hope not, my dear, and I also hope there is no danger of such a +misfortune, for you have a great many years to learn in; and if you make +good use of them, you will know a great deal by the time you are +twenty." + +"So I shall," said Charles, "I will learn as much as I can every day." + +"A very good resolution," said his papa; "education is one of the best +things in the world. I will tell you an entertaining story on this very +subject." + +"Do, papa, I should like to hear it very much; I am so fond of stories." + +"But this is a true one, Charles, which makes it all the better. You +have seen in your map of America, a country called Peru?" + +"Yes," answered Charles; "I saw it this morning, when I was saying my +geography lesson to mamma; I had to say all the countries in South +America, and Peru was one of them." + +"Well, this country was once governed by a king who was called an Inca, +and his name was Atabalipa; but although he was a king, he knew neither +how to read nor write, for reading and writing were arts that were not +known in America at that time." + +"What are arts, papa?" + +"Arts are those things which men have taught themselves to do by their +own skill and invention; making tables and chairs, is an art; Printing +is an art, and a very clever art it is; building is an art; and reading +and writing are arts; but at the time I am speaking of, there were very +few arts known in America, for it was mostly inhabited by savages; and +even in Peru, where they were not savages, they were quite ignorant; +they had no books, and would not have known how to read them if they +had, and they thought they were the only people in the world besides the +savages." + +"Then, I dare say, they thought themselves very clever fellows," said +Charles, "for all they could not read or write; for you know, papa, if +they thought there was nobody in the world but them and the savages, +they would not know there were any people cleverer than themselves." + +"No, I have no doubt they were quite satisfied with themselves, my dear, +and not without reason, for they had taught themselves many useful +things; but at last they found out that there were people in the world +who were cleverer than they were as you shall hear. There was a Spanish +soldier, named Pizarro, who happened to hear that there was a great deal +of gold and silver to be found in Peru; so he thought he would go there, +and try if he could not make himself rich. Pizarro was a fierce, cruel +man, but he had been brought up in total ignorance; for his mother was a +very poor woman, and could not afford to send him to school, therefore +he had never learned to read or write. However he could fight, and so he +took a number of other soldiers with him, and went to Peru, where the +people were so surprised at the sight of him and his men, who were not +like any men they had seen before, that they were afraid; therefore the +Spaniards very easily conquered them, and robbed them of their gold, and +at last took the Inca prisoner, and kept him confined in a small room, +where he would have been very unhappy; but that he was very much amused, +by observing how many things the Spaniards knew that he had never before +heard of. + +"He was astonished to see that they could tell the hour of the day by +their watches, and thought the Europeans must be very wonderful people +indeed, to make such clever things; but what pleased him more than all, +was the art of writing. He could not imagine how one person could know +what another meant by looking at a few black marks, and he thought that +men who could do this, must be far superior to the Peruvians, and +therefore felt a respect even for the common soldiers who guarded him; +for he saw that they had more knowledge than he had, although a king. + +"Now Pizarro was the general of the soldiers, and of course the greatest +man among them; and he had also become very rich by conquering the +Peruvians, and plundering their towns, that is, taking away all the gold +and silver he found: and Atabalipa supposed that, as he was the chief of +the Spaniards, he must be the cleverest of them too; but one day he +happened to find out by accident, that Pizarro could neither read nor +write, and this discovery made him think so meanly of his conqueror, +that from that moment he treated him with great contempt, saying that +Pizarro, though a general, could not be a person of any consequence in +his own country; since his common soldiers were better taught than +himself." + +"Thank you, papa," said Charles, "that is just such a story as I like, +and I see that it is of no use to be rich and great, if we are not wise +also." + +[Illustration: THE AFRICAN TORN FROM HIS HOME BY WHITE-MAN.] + + + + +CHAP. II. + + +BLACK SLAVES. + +Charles used to go every fine day after his lessons were finished, to +play in the square gardens; and as all the other boys whose parents +lived in the square went there too, he had several friends, and amongst +them one a little older than himself, named Peter Ross, whom he liked +better than any of the rest. + +Peter was not an English boy, he was a West-Indian: his father and +mother lived in Jamaica, but they had sent him to England to be +educated, so he lived with his uncle in Euston-square, and went every +day to the London University school. Charles was very fond of talking +to Peter, because Peter told about the slaves that worked on his +father's plantations, for his father was a sugar planter, and had a +large estate in Jamaica, so he was obliged to keep a great many negro +slaves, for all the plantations in the West-Indies, are cultivated by +negroes. + +"I wish I had a slave," said Charles to his papa one evening, after he +had been playing with Peter. "Do you know, papa, when Peter was at home +in the West-Indies, he had a slave of his own, a black boy, to wait upon +him, and do every thing he wanted; and Peter was his master, and he was +not older, then, than I am. What a nice thing it must be to have a slave +of one's own; I should get him to carry my kite, and my hoop and stick, +when I don't want to bowl it, and mend my toys when I break them, and do +a great many things for me. He could move my rocking horse, and that +great wooden box where I keep my bats and balls, for it is too heavy for +me to lift myself, and I often want it moved: really a slave would be +very useful to me, papa." + +Mr. Barker could not help laughing at Charles's idea of the usefulness +of a slave, and asked him if he knew exactly what slaves were. + +"Yes," replied Charles; "they are black people." + +"A great many slaves are black, certainly," said his papa, "but is not +being black, that makes a man a slave, and there have been many +unfortunate white people sold for slaves, as well as the poor blacks." + +"Sold!" said Charles, "what, do they sell people, I never heard of that +before." + +"Then I will tell you now, my dear, and I think you will never again +wish to have a slave. When America was first discovered, which is about +three hundred and fifty years ago, there were many gold mines found in +the West-Indies, all the mountains contained a vast quantity of gold, +but it was very hard work to dig for it, and the natives of the country, +who were savages, were not strong, and had never been used to work; so +that the Spaniards who had discovered the country, could not get as much +gold as they wished, although they were cruel enough to force the poor +savages to work in the mines, and chained them together; that they might +not run away; poor creatures! they were much to be pitied, and numbers +of them died every day, for they had not strength to bear such hard +labour. So when the Spaniards found that the Indians could not do as +much work as they wanted done, they employed sailors to go to Africa and +bring them a number of black men from that country; for they knew the +Africans were strong, and that they could make them work as hard as they +pleased." + +"But why did the Africans go, papa?" said Charles, whose eyes were full +of tears at this sad tale. "Why did they not send the sailors away +again, and say they would not go with them?" + +"They most likely would have done so," replied his papa; "if they had +known how they would be treated; but the sailors said they would take +them to a fine country, where they would get plenty of food without any +trouble, and live much better than they did in their own country; so the +simple negroes believed them, and went on board their ships; but they +soon found out how wrong they had been to trust these wicked men; for +when they came to the place where they expected to be so happy, they +were all sold as if they had been beasts, instead of men, and sent to +work in the mines; where they led a very miserable life indeed, for the +cruel masters who had bought them, did not care what they suffered, so +long as they got plenty of gold. + +"This was the beginning of what is called the slave trade, and a +dreadful trade it has been ever since; for when the captains of ships +found how much money the Spaniards would give for negroes, they went +again to Africa; and when the black men refused to go with them, they +took them by force, and carried them on board the ships, where they +tied them together, so that it was impossible for them to escape. You +would think it a very hard case, Charles, if you were walking by the sea +shore, and two or three men were to come and carry you away by force to +a distant land, and sell you to somebody who would make you work hard +for him all the rest of your life, and consider you as much his +property, as if he had bought a horse or a dog." + +"But they would have no right to sell me," said Charles, "I do not +belong to them." + +"Neither do those poor Africans belong to the men who sell them; they +have as much right to be free and happy, as you or I have." + +"Then how is it, papa, that Peter's father has slaves? he is an +Englishman." + +"Yes, Charles, I am sorry to say, that Englishmen, as well as Spaniards, +have traded in slaves, for when some of the West-India islands came into +the possession of the English, they found the negroes so useful, and +made so much money by their labour, that they forgot how unjust it was +to keep them in slavery. However, I am happy to say, that a law is now +in operation which will soon set all the slaves free. In a very short +time, the negroes will be at liberty like other working men; and the +masters, instead of buying them, must hire them like servants, and pay +them wages; and they will be able to leave their master if he does not +treat them well, and get another place, as our servants do." + +"Ah, how glad I am," said Charles, "that will be a good thing for the +poor blacks. I do not wish to have a slave now, papa; I would not have +one for the world. But Peter's father's slaves do not work in the gold +mines, they make sugar: why is that?" + +"Because there are no gold mines now in the West-Indies worth working," +said Mr. Barker; "the Spaniards took care to get all the gold there was, +but people still make large fortunes there, by growing sugar; and there +are still gold mines in other parts of America, where negro slaves +work." + +"How does sugar grow?" enquired Charles. + +"It is made from the juice of reeds, called sugar canes," said his +papa.--"A plantation of sugar canes is very pretty, they grow very high, +and are of a beautiful gold colour, streaked with red; and at the top of +this yellow cane are long green leaves, which hang down round it: but +this is not all, for out of the midst of these leaves, there grows a +long stem, like a thin silver wand; and at the top of it, is something +that looks like a plume of white feathers, edged with lilac." + +"Oh, how beautiful!" exclaimed Charles:--"I should like to go to the +West-Indies, if it was only to see a sugar plantation; but how do they +get the sugar, papa?" + +"When the canes are ripe, Charles, the negroes cut them down, and tie +them up in bundles, and carry them to a mill, where the juice is pressed +out. + +"This juice is boiled several times in large coppers, and the coarse +parts separated from the fine, which at last dries into sugar. It is all +brown at first, or what you call moist sugar; but by mixing different +things with it, and boiling it again in a particular manner, they can +make lump sugar, and sugar candy; and this is done by the black slaves, +who have been dragged away from their own country to be sold to the +planters: so you see Charles, that even so simple a thing as a lump of +sugar, is the cause of a vast deal of cruelty and injustice." + +[Illustration: Man (Drawing).] + + + + +CHAP. III. + + +A VISIT TO THE THEATRE. + +Charles had never seen a play; but his papa and mamma had always +promised him that when he was seven years old, they would take him to +Covent-Garden Theatre, and as that time had now nearly come, he did not +forget to remind them of their promise. His birth-day was the fifteenth +of January, which was lucky, because they always perform pantomimes in +the Christmas holidays, and he was very desirous of seeing harlequin and +columbine, and the clown, as he had heard a great deal about them from +his young friends in the square, who had been to see them. As the day +approached, Charles could think of nothing but the play, and said he +thought it would be the happiest day of his life; but his mamma told him +she hoped he would have much greater cause to be happy many days of his +life, than going to a theatre; however Charles did not think there could +be any greater cause for happiness, and his mamma said, it was as well +for him to think so: The night before his birth-day, he went to bed in +high spirits, saying he was sure he should not be able to sleep all +night; but that was a mistake, for he went to sleep almost directly; and +did not wake till the morning. + +[Illustration: LITTLE CHARLES SEEING A CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME.] + +As soon as he was dressed, he ran down stairs to breakfast, with a +smiling face. "Here is the day come at last!" he said, "I am so glad +mamma, I wish it was night; I am seven years old to-day." + +"Yes, my dear," said his mamma, "and I wish you many happy returns of +the day." + +"Thank you, mamma, but I have a great favour to ask you." + +"What is it? Charles." + +"I am afraid you will not do it." + +"If it is any thing very unreasonable, perhaps I shall not," said his +mamma; "but if it is not very unreasonable, I think, as it is your +birth-day, I may venture to promise that I will do it." + +"Then this is it," said Charles; "Peter has never been to the play in +his life, and he said yesterday, he should like to go with me; so I wish +you would take him with us; he would be so pleased." + +"Well then, we will take him with us," said Mrs. Barker; "and I am glad +to find that you think of other people's pleasure, as well as your own; +it shows that you are not selfish." + +A message was then sent to Peter's uncle, who readily gave his consent, +which made Charles happier than he was before. + +At six o'clock Peter came; and very much delighted he looked, as well +he might, for he had not expected so great a pleasure; and then both the +boys watched at the window for Mr. Barker, who had not yet come home; +but he soon came, when they all got into a coach, and away they drove. + +The play was to be Macbeth, which Charles said was very fortunate, +because he had read about him in 'Tales of a Grandfather,' but Peter had +never read 'Tales of Grandfather,' nor any history of Scotland, so he +did not know who Macbeth was, therefore Mr. Barker was kind enough to +tell him the whole story as they went along; that he might be able to +understand what he was going to see. Perhaps some other little boys +would like to hear it too, so I will tell it. + +"There was once a king of Scotland, named Duncan, who was a good man, +and much beloved by his subjects. This king had a cousin named Macbeth, +who being the bravest general in Scotland, was employed by Duncan to +fight all his battles for him, when he was too old to fight them +himself; but Macbeth, although a brave man, was not a good man, and +besides that, he had a very wicked wife, who wanted to be a queen, and +therefore she tried to persuade her husband to kill Duncan, that he +might be made king in his stead. + +"At this time the Danes, who came from Denmark, invaded Scotland; that +is, they came there to fight the Scots, and try to conquer the country: +but they were disappointed, for Macbeth went with a large army to the +place where they had landed, and having killed a great number of them in +a battle, he forced the rest to return to Denmark. + +"When Duncan heard that Macbeth had gained this victory, and driven his +enemies out of Scotland, he was so much pleased, that he went, with his +two sons, to pay him a visit at his castle; but he little thought, poor +old man, what was going to happen, for in the middle of the night, when +he was fast asleep, Macbeth went softly into his room, and killed him +with a dagger. So in the morning, when it became known that the king was +murdered, Macbeth pretended to be very much surprised and grieved at it, +and although the people all thought he had done it himself, they were +afraid to say so; and he was made king of Scotland. But wickedness is +sure to be punished, as you shall hear; for the two young Princes, +Malcolm and Donald Bane, as soon as they heard their father was dead, +escaped from the castle, fearing that if they staid they might be killed +too. + +"Now happened that at that very time there was in England a very good +king, called Edward the Confessor, who was an enemy to all bad men; +therefore the Scottish princes determined to go to his court, and tell +him what Macbeth had done; for they did not doubt that when he heard of +it, he would render them some assistance; and they were not mistaken. +The English king declared that he would revenge the death of Duncan, +and place Malcolm on the throne; so he sent a large army into Scotland, +to fight for the young prince, and Macbeth was killed in a battle, which +gave great joy to the people, who were very glad to have Malcolm for +their king. All this happened nearly eight hundred years ago, and +Malcolm, who is called in the history of Scotland, Malcolm Canmore, was +one of the best kings that ever reigned over that country." + +By the time Mr. Barker had finished this story they had arrived at the +theatre, and were just seated in the front row of a box, as the curtain +drew up. The two boys liked the play very much, although it made them +rather dull; but they were merry enough when the pantomime began, for it +was full of fun, from beginning to end, and Charles could not help +exclaiming every now and then, "Oh, what capital fun!" + +He was very much astonished at the wonderful tricks performed by +harlequin with his magic sword, for to those who have never seen a +pantomime before, it must be rather surprising to see a wheelbarrow +turned into a steam carriage, and an umbrella into an arm chair. But +what amused Charles and Peter more than all the rest, was a large pie +which was brought in and placed on a table, where the king and queen, +with several lords and ladies were sitting at dinner, all seemingly very +anxious to taste of this pie. But the moment it was cut, a whistling +noise was heard, and a number of little birds hopped out of the pie, and +flew away, leaving the dish quite empty, to the great amusement of all +the boys and girls in the theatre, who laughed very loud indeed. + +But pleasure cannot last for ever. The pantomime was soon over, and as +Charles went home, he said he should like to go to the play every night, +all the rest of his life--"Ah, Charles,"--said his papa, "we are all apt +to like what is new to us, but you will find out, my boy, that people +get tired even of pleasure, if they have too much of it." + + + + +CHAP. IV. + + +CONVERSATION ON HISTORY. + +On the morning after the play, Charles was thinking about the king of +Scotland, and he asked his mamma why there was no king of Scotland now, +as there used to be, and she told him that England and Scotland were now +considered only as one kingdom, and called Great Britain. + +"Yes," said Charles, "I know that the queen of England is queen of +Scotland too; but I want to know how it came to be so; because you see, +mamma, that when Duncan was king of Scotland, there was a king of +England as well." + +"Yes, my dear," and for five hundred years after Duncan was murdered, +there were kings of Scotland and England also; but when Queen Elizabeth +died, her nearest relation happened to be the king of Scotland, James +the sixth; he was her cousin, and as she left neither brothers nor +sisters, nor children, James became king of England as well as of his +own country; and since that time there has been but one king to govern +both kingdoms." + +"Thank you, mamma," said Charles, "I could not think how it was before; +but do you think it is best to have one king or two?" + +"I think it is best to have but one, because, if you look at your map, +you will see that England and Scotland together make one large island; +and while they were separate kingdoms, they were frequently at war with +each other." + +"What did they go to war for, mamma?" + +"I believe, Charles, the true cause generally was, that the English king +thought he should like to have the whole island for himself; but what +made the matter worse was, that as the people who were fighting against +each other, all lived in the same island, it was almost as bad as a +civil war." + +"What is a civil war, mamma?" + +"It is when the people of any country cannot agree among themselves, and +so make war upon each other: there have been civil wars in all countries +at different times; they are the most dreadful of all wars, because +relations and friends are often fighting in battle against each other." + +"Oh, what a shocking thing!" said Charles; "But why do they do it mamma? +I cannot think why people should fight battles with one another." + +"I will try to explain it, my dear: There is at present a civil war in +Spain, because when the last king died, some of the people said that his +daughter should be queen, and others said his brother should be king; so +the daughter was placed on the throne and crowned; but the brother, +whose name is Don Carlos, is very angry at this, because he thinks he +has the greatest right to the crown; so he has persuaded all who are on +his side, to go to war with all who are in favour of the queen, +therefore the Spaniards are now fighting against each other." + +"Which do you think will win?" said Charles. + +"I cannot possibly say, my dear. But I wish to show you, Charles, the +terrible consequences of a civil war. It may happen that fathers and +sons are of different opinions, and that one fights for the queen, and +the other for the king; and then it is possible that in battle the son +may kill his father, or the father his son." + +"Oh, that would be shocking!" said Charles. + +"And yet it has sometimes happened," said his mamma; "there have been +brothers too, who have fought against each other, and many persons who +were friends before, have become the bitterest enemies." + +"Was there ever a civil war in England, mamma?" + +"Yes, my dear, more than once. The last was because many people thought +they should like to have no king at all; I am going to buy you a little +history of England, and then you will read about it." + +"I shall like to read about it," said Charles, "but what did the people +do when they thought they should like to have no king?" + +"They said the king had done a great many things that were wrong, and so +they put him in prison, and at last had his head cut off; do you know, +Charles, which king it was who was beheaded?" + +"Yes, mamma; it was Charles the first." + +"Well, after Charles the first was beheaded, some of the people declared +that his son should be king, and others said they would have no king at +all, but that they would have somebody instead to manage the affairs of +the country." + +"And I know who that was, mamma," said Charles, "it was Oliver Cromwell, +I know he was not a king, but I did not understand how it was before." + +"And I suppose you also understand now, why this caused a civil war?" +said his mamma. + +"Of course I do," replied Charles; "some people fought for the king, and +some for Oliver Cromwell." + +"Yes," replied Mrs. Barker, "and for a long time the country was in a +very unhappy state. The king was obliged to hide himself, for if he had +been caught he would perhaps have been beheaded, as his poor father was. +But at last he got away in a ship, and went to Holland, where he lived +for some years; but at last his party was victorious, and he came back +to England." + +"Then there was a king again," said Charles. + +[Illustration: CONVERSATIONS ON HISTORY: CHARLES IInd.] + +"Yes, then there was a king again, he was Charles the second; and now +every year on the day that he returned, the bells ring, and the guns are +fired, it is the 29th of May, and is called king Charles's restoration. +When May comes, if you listen on that day, you will hear the bells +ringing very merrily, and then you will know what it is for." + +"So I shall," said Charles, "I am glad of that, I like to know things, I +wish I knew the history of every country in the world." + +"It is a very good thing to know a great deal of history," said his +mamma; "and the best way of gaining this knowledge, is to read with +attention the books that have been written on purpose to teach little +boys history; they are the best for you to read now; then, when you are +older, you will be able to understand the large books that are in your +papa's book-case, and you may become acquainted with the history of the +whole world, if you like." + + + + +CHAP. V. + + +MISSIONARIES. + +"Papa," said Charles, "I should like to know what a missionary is." + +"Your desire can very easily be gratified," replied his papa; "but what +has made you think of missionaries just now?" + +"Because I read in the newspaper, this morning, that the day before +yesterday there was a great crowd at St. Katharine's docks to take leave +of a missionary who was going to one of the South Sea islands; and it +said that a great deal of money had been given to him, and that when the +ship began to sail, all the people waved their hats, and wished him +success. Now I want to know what he was going for, and why every body +was so glad?" + +[Illustration: THE GOOD MISSIONARY GOING ABROAD.] + +"Then I will tell you, Charles. Missionaries are good and religious men, +who go out to different parts of the world, on purpose to benefit those +poor ignorant creatures whom we call savages, by teaching them religion, +and also such arts as they are capable of learning." + +"That is very kind of them," said Charles; "for it cannot be very +pleasant to live among savages." + +"No, my dear; but these good men do not consider what is pleasant, they +only consider what is right; and that is the proper way to think, is it +not?" + +"Oh yes, papa, I know that we ought all to do what is right, whether it +is pleasant or not." + +"Certainly, Charles, and in the end it is sure to be the most pleasant, +because it is a great pleasure to know that we have done what is right. +But we were talking of missionaries. For several hundred years the +people of England and Germany, and other Christian countries, have +considered it a part of their duty to teach the Christian religion in +all parts of the world; for in many nations, Charles, they are so +ignorant that instead of praying to God, they worship images, which they +make themselves." + +"They are very wicked, then?" said Charles. + +"No, they are not wicked," replied his papa, "because they know no +better; they do what they believe to be right; and as long as we do what +we think is right, we cannot be wicked, although we may be mistaken." + +"Then the missionaries go to teach them better, I suppose?" said +Charles. + +"Yes, my dear, these good men are so anxious to do good to their fellow +creatures, that they do not mind the difficulties and dangers they meet +with; and it is no easy matter I assure you Charles, for many of them +have been cruelly murdered by the barbarians they were trying to +instruct." + +"Poor men," said Charles, "how sorry I am for them; but why do any more +of them go, papa, if they are so badly treated?" + +"Because though some have been unfortunate, others have done a great +deal of good; for instance, the missionary you read about this morning, +went out a great many years ago to some of the South Sea islands, which +he found inhabited by savages who knew nothing, and lived more like wild +beasts than men; but he contrived to make friends of them, and has +taught them to build houses, cultivate the earth, build ships, and make +many useful articles of furniture, and tools to dig and plant the +ground; and although all these things are of a very rough kind, it is +better than not knowing how to make them at all, you know." + +"To be sure it is," replied Charles; "besides, perhaps they will go on +making them better and better, till at last they will make very good +things indeed." + +[Illustration: THE GOOD MISSIONARY TEACHING THE SAVAGES TO BUILD.] + +"Yes, my boy, that is the right way, not only with the savages, but with +ourselves: When once we know the manner of doing a thing, we may then +improve upon it as much as we can, the same as with your writing, each +copy ought to be done better than the last." + +"But now you have not told me why they have given money to the +missionary, papa." + +"Because he has come to England to buy clothes, tools, seeds, and other +things for the use and improvement of the South Sea Islanders. The +English people are always ready to assist in any good work; and so +numbers of persons have given money, till it has amounted to several +hundred pounds, which has enabled the good missionary to take back with +him a large store of useful articles." + +"Well, that is an excellent plan," said Charles, "I should not wonder if +these poor savages in time become very clever fellows, and make their +island a capital place, and all through this good missionary." + +"Yes, Charles, so we see how much may be done by one person alone, if he +will take the pains. But there is one thing that the missionary has +taught the savages, which is better than all the rest; he has taught +them to know that there is a God, who made the world, and all that is in +it, and that those who love him, and keep his commandments, will be +rewarded in the world to come." + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11099 *** |