RHOECUS.

One day a young man was walking through a forest. His name was Rhoecus. As he walked along, he saw an old tree just ready to fall. It was a fine old oak tree with broad branches and large limbs: Rhcecus felt sorry that such a fine tree should fall to the ground, so he carefully put a large stick against it.

As he turned to go, he heard a voice speak his name, "Rhoecus!'' He looked around, but could see no one. Again he heard it, "Rhoecus!" This time it was a little louder, almost like a breeze.

He turned again and looked about him. His eyes fell on the tree which he had just supported, and there beside it stood a beautiful maiden. As he looked at her, she said, "Rhoecus, I am the dryad of this tree. I can live only as long as the tree lives. You have made my life longer by supporting the tree. Now ask what you will and I will give it to you.

"

Rhoecus was very happy when he said this, and thought that he cared only to have this beautiful dryad for his friend. She might make him gentle. So he said; "Only be my friend, give me gentle eyes like yours."

"I give it, Rhoecus. Meet me here an hour before sunset.” As soon as she said this, she disappeared, and Rhoecus could see only the old oak, and hear only the rustling of the breeze among the leaves.

Then he turned and went on his way through the forest. As he walked along, the sky looked bluer, and he was so happy, he felt that he could almost fly.

When he reached the town just beyond the forest, he found some of his friends playing games. He joined in the games and did not notice how quickly the hours were flying. He became so interested that he even forgot about his promise.

After a while a bee came buzzing about his head. Rhoecus roughly brushed it away, but three times it came back. Each time he brushed it away. The last time he bruised its wing and then it flew away. Rhoecus watched as it flew through the window, and while looking he saw a mountain away in the west. Behind it the sun was sinking out of sight. Suddenly it came into his mind that he was to meet the dryad before sunset. He started to his feet and rushed away without a word. Through the city and over the fields he ran till he reached the forest. Once more he heard his name called softly, "Rhoecus!"'

He looked for his friend, but could not see her. He could see only the dark shadows of the old oak. Then he heard the voice again, and this time she said, "O, Rhoecus, you shall never see me again, either by day or night. I sent the bee as a messenger to tell you to come, but you brushed him away with a broken wing. We dryads can be seen only by gentle eyes, and he who is unkind to the smallest flower, bird, or bee, can never look at us again. Farewell!"

Rhoecus was so sorry to hear this, he cried out, "O, dryad, forgive me this once and I shall never need to be forgiven again!" But she only answered, "It will do no good. I cannot make you gentle. Farewell." And Rhoecus was left alone. (C. C. N. S. Envelope.)

EASTER RHYME.

"Thirty days hath September,"
Every person can remember;
But to know when Easter comes
Puzzles even scholars some.

When March the twenty-first is past
Just watch the silvery moon,
And when you see it full and round,
Know Easter'll be here soon.

After the moon has reached its full,
Then Easter will be here,

The very Sunday after,

In each and every year.

And if it hap on Sunday

The moon should reach its height,

The Sunday following this event
Will be the Easter bright.

-Ex

EASTER WEEK.

Thought for the week-an awakening to new life. Easter means life. Before the Christian era it was a festival to celebrate the awakening of Nature from the death of winter. Everything is bursting into new life; all things are renewed. "Thou renewest the face of the earth,

Be glad and full of joy to-day;

For all that sleep shall rise again

To spend a long, glad Easter day."

Madonna and Child.

PICTURES.

Angel Gabriel and the Lilies.

Show pupils picture of Madonna and Child. Tell them about his work and love of nature; then how he fell asleep and

came back to us at Easter to tell us of his new life. Tell them the Bible story of that Easter Day.

Show the pupils picture of the "Angel Gabriel and the Lilies."

Tell the story of the "Madonna of the Lilies."

Sing the song:

"The little flowers came from the ground,

At Easter time, at Easter time."

and let pupils memorize the verse about lilies which Christ gave them when he was upon the earth.

"Consider the lilies, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin, yet I say unto you that Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed (dressed) like one of these."

EASTER STORY.

Do you remember the name of the little child who was born on the first glad Christmas day? When he grew to be a man he taught people how to live right, and love God and each other.

When Jesus died he was put in a strong stone tomb with a heavy stone door. Some soldiers were stationed at the tomb to guard it, and see that no one took his body away. These soldiers watched all day and all night, some sleeping and resting while others watched.

On the second night after Jesus had been put in the tomb, some birds came to the tomb and began to sing the most beautiful songs that the soldiers had ever heard. It was like the song the angels sang when Jesus was born. It seemed as if the little birds knew that he was coming out from the tomb, and they were so glad to have him live again they wished to tell the soldiers about it. But the soldiers did not understand. Just after midnight there came a strange and beautiful light in the east. It lighted up the whole world, and a stream of light flashed upon the tomb.

Then the great stone door opened and Jesus came out. Two beautiful angels stood there to meet him, and then he walked away among the trees in the garden near by.

The soldiers were so frightened that they trembled all over, and then they fainted and fell on the ground.

This morning that Christ awakened from the grave to live again, was the first Easter day. It was a new day for the world. The day before Easter men were sad because they did not believe he would awake and live again; and now they were very glad. The whole world seemed to rejoice-even the birds and the flowers.

When the friends of Jesus came in the early morning to visit his tomb, they found the ground all about, which had been dry and hard the night before, covered with pure white lilies. The Heavenly Father thought there should be one lovely pure white flower with a sweet fragrance, more beautiful than all the rest, to tell everyone as soon as they saw it, "Surely it is time for everything to awake."

So one day he sent the angel Gabriel, with a beautiful white lily to this earth of ours, and from that day until this the people have loved it more than all the other early flowers, and have called it our "Easter Lily," for it blooms always at Easter, the awakening time of the year.

EASTER SONGS.

"Childhood and the Lilies."

"Easter Song," Smith No. 1.

"Nature's Easter Story," Patty Hill Book.

"Little White Lily."

"At Easter Time," Walker & Jenks.

"Easter Song," Mrs. Gaynor's Song Book.

POEMS.

"The Lily of the Resurrection," Lucy Larcom.

"The Lily's Whisper," Child Garden.