To a Homeschool Mom

By Amelia Harper

He gave this gift with gentle hands,
A treasure rich and rare;
But sand and rock and rugged stone
Obscured the gem so fair.
“I give this gift to you,” He said,
“To polish and to prime;
The future lies within your hands,
So make use of the time.”
Some others placed their precious gifts
Within another’s care,
Because they knew the craft took time—
And time they could not spare.
But you were not content to trust
This task to other hands.
You sought to teach yourself the craft
That such a task demands.
For, you said, “No other hand
Can craft this gem so fair;
My loving eyes can better see
The treasure hidden there.”
So carefully you chipped away
Till brilliance sprang from stone.
You shaped each facet, smoothed each face,
Until the task was done.
Some days you feared that you would fail;
Some days, you saw success.
But still you labored on with love
And gentle tenderness.
Thus, soon the gem He gave to you
Reflected Light sublime;
And then you knew no other task
Was better worth your time.

What Boys Should Be

First: Be true--be genuine. No education is worth anything that does not include this. A man had better not know how to read--he had better never learn a letter of the alphabet, and be true and genuine in intention and in action, rather than to be learned in all sciences and in all languages, to be at the same time false in heart and counterfeit in life. Above all things, teach the boys that truth is more than riches, more than culture, more than earthly power or position. Second: Be unselfish, to care for the feelings and comforts of others. To be polite. To be just in all dealings with others. To be generous, noble, and manly. This will include a genuine reverence for the aged, and things sacred. Third: Be self-reliant and self-helpful, even from early childhood. To be industrious always, and self-supporting at the earliest proper age. Teach them that all honest work is honorable, and that an idle, useless life of dependence on others is disgraceful. When a boy has learned these three things, when he has made these ideas a part of his being--however young he may be, however poor, or however rich--he has learned some of the most important things he ought to know when he becomes a man. With these three properly mastered and a life devoted to Christ, it will be easy to find all the rest.

...Advice to Boys...

Whatever you are, be brave, boys!
The liar’s a coward and slave, boys;
Though clever at ruses,
And sharp at excuses,
He’s a sneaking and pitiful knave, boys.

Whatever you are, be frank, boys;
’Tis better than money and rank, boys;
Still cleave to the right;
Be lovers of light;
Be open, aboveboard, and frank, boys.

Whatever you are, be kind, boys;
Be gentle in manner and mind, boys.
The man gentle in mein,
Words, and temper, I ween
Is the gentleman truly refined, boys.

But whatever you are, be true, boys;
Be visible through and through, boys.
Leave to others the shamming,
The "greening," and "cramming;"
In fun and in earnest be true, boys.