e week. One day,
Joshua went to church. At first he sat very still; but the sermon was
a very long one, and finally he grew so tired he could not listen
another minute. He thought he would like to draw a picture of the
minister, but he had nothing to draw it on. Then he remembered that he
had a pencil in his pocket, and that he could draw the picture on his
thumb nail. That is just what he did.

The church was near the river, and after church Joshua went down to
the river bank. Finding a piece of an old sail, he carried it to a
boathouse, and here, from the picture on his thumb nail, he drew on
the piece of sail the portrait of the minister. Then he painted it,
using common paint such as is used to paint boats. Joshua was only
eleven years old, and had finished his first oil painting. His father
had wanted him to be a doctor, but after seeing this picture he
decided to let Joshua have his own way and be a painter. He sent him
to a good teacher, and lived to see his son a great artist.

=Questions about the artist.= Who painted this picture? What did Sir
Joshua Reynolds like to do when he was a boy? Who was his teacher? How
did he spoil his number paper? Why was his father disappointed? How
many brothers and sisters did he have? On what did they draw? With
what did they draw? How old was Joshua when he drew the picture of the
schoolhouse? What did his father say when he saw this picture? How did
Joshua happen to paint a picture of the minister? On what did he make
his first sketch? Where did he finish the picture? On what did he
paint it? What kind of paints did he use? What did Joshua's father
want him to be when he grew up? After he had seen this picture, what
did he say Joshua might be? Why do we want to remember him?

THE FIRST STEP

=Artist:= Jean Francois Millet (zhaeN fraeN' swae' m[=e]l[)e]'').
=Birthplace:= Gruchy, France.
=Dates:= Born, 1814; died, 1875.

=Questions to arouse interest.= What do you see in this picture? What is
the father doing? Who holds the baby? What is the baby trying to do? Why
is the picture called "The First Step"? How many have a baby brother or
sister who is just learning to walk? What has the father been doing? Why
do you think so? Why did he stop? What is on the ground beside him? How
is the man dressed? Where do these people live? What separates the house
from the garden? What can you see next to the fence? Why do you think it
is not a very warm day? Why do you