nces of all ages in
which the children form a part.
~~The Talk.~~
"It is said that once upon a time a teacher asked a boy to tell her
whether the sun or the moon is of the greater importance to the world.
"'The moon,' replied the boy.
"'Why,' inquired the teacher, 'do you think the moon is of more
benefit to the world than the sun is?'
"'Because,' said the boy, 'the moon shines at night when we need it,
but the sun shines only in the daytime when we do not need it.'
"That was certainly a strange kind of an answer; wasn't it? I will
draw the earth and the moon to show more plainly just how mistaken the
boy was. [Draw the earth circle and the moon circle, and show the
shaded parts as you proceed.]
"Here we have the earth with one-half in darkness, and here is the
moon with one-half in darkness. This side of the earth is light, while
this other side would be very dark indeed if it were not for the rays
of light coming from the moon, like this: [Draw dotted line showing
rays of light going from the moon to the earth, completing Fig. 70].
[Illustration: Fig. 70]
"Now, then we ask, can the moon shine upon the earth all of itself
without any help? Ah, no--and that is the thing the boy didn't know,
or he never would have answered as he did. Where does the moon get its
light from? Yes, from the sun. I will draw part of a circle to
represent the sun. [Draw the sun.] And this dotted line [draw dotted
line from sun to moon, completing Fig. 71] shows how the sun sends its
brilliant light to the moon, so that the moon may reflect part of it
back to the earth which would be enshrouded in darkness if it were not
for the sun. The moon acts just like a mirror which you hold in your
hand and use to reflect the sun's rays wherever you please.
[Illustration: Fig. 71]
"Sometimes the moon gets between the earth and the sun, and it is then
that it does not reflect the sun's light and it is then that we have
nights of inky blackness.
"I wonder if we have ever stopped to think how very much we Christian
people are, or ought to be, like the moon. Just as the sun warms and
lights everything about it, so the love of God lights and warms those
who turn their faces toward him. We can truly say with the Psalmist,
that 'the Lord is my light and salvation,' but we have not fulfilled
our mission on earth if we are willing merely to receive this light of
happiness, of contentment, of trust and of faith, without reflecting
it
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