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PUBLISHED BY TUB
AUERICiVN TRACT ^
3 SOCIETY. «

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WAYN E STATE UN IVERSITY* Li BRARY
3 9343 00742632 2
TWDDLOISDRAMSEYCOLLEXTION

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THE
MAY-BEE.
BY MRS. SHERWOOD.
PUBLISHED BY THE
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY,
150 NASSAU-STREET, NEW TORE.
8
i

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720
Ofc

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MAY-BEE.
There is a village in the north of
Great Britain where a number of
small cottages, surrounded with gar
dens, are scattered over a beautiful
heath. Here are also many elms and
oaks, which, in the summer season,
afford a pleasant shade to the little
flocks which feed upon the heath.
The best house in this village is

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4
THE MAY-BEE.
the parsonage, which is placed in the
church-yard. The church itself is a
neat old building with a fine tower,
which the rooks have made their ha
bitation for many years.
In this village lived little Harry.
This poor hoy had lost his father and
mother before he could speak, when
he was put under the care of an old
woman, who did not use this little
orphan well, for she took no care
of his soul, neither sending him to
church nor putting him to school, so
that he remained ignorant of his God
and Savior.
One Sabbath morning in the month
of May, while the cuckoo was sing
ing in the woods, and the bees were
gathering their sweet food from flow
er to flower in the cottage gardens,
the old woman gave little Harry
leave to go out and play till dinner
time. Away therefore he went, not

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THE MAY-BEE.
5
heeding the bells of the church which
sounded sweetly from the old tower,
inviting all Christians within hearing
of them, from the hills and from the
valleys, to come and serve the Lord.
And now, as he sauntered along,
thinking what he should do, he saw be
fore him a neighbor’s boy, called Will
iam, running by the hedge, and looking
for something among the bushes.
“What are you doing there, Will
iam?” said little Harry.
“ Doing ?” said William, “ why 1
am looking for May-bees. Here is

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6
THE MAY-BEE.
one that I have knocked down with
my hat, and he has fallen into the
bushes ; so I am trying to pick him
out—aye, and now I have got him
I’ll make him smart for giving me
so much trouble.”
“ Why, what will you do with
him ?” said little Harry.
“Why, look you here,” said Wil
liam, jumping down from the hedge,
“ I shall spin him on this pin.”
So the wicked boy took a crooked
pin out of his pocket, tied to a long
piece of thread, when thrusting the
crooked pin through the tail of the
harmless insect, and taking hold of
the end of the string, he whirled the
poor creature round in the air.
“There,” said he, “see how he
spins! and hark! what a Buzzing he
makes! Come, Harry, fetch a pin
and a bit of thread, and we’ll catch
another for you to spin.”

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THE MAY-BEE.
7
Little Harry therefore ran home to
beg a pin and a bit of thread, with which
he soon returned to William in the lane.
Now by the time that he was come
back William had caught another May-
bee, or cockchafer, or humbuzz,(for so
that insect is called in different places,)
which he found feeding quietly on a
green leaf; so he taught Harry how to
put the pin through his tail and spin
him.
And thus these two cruel boys

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8
THE MAY-BEE.
went on spinning the poor little May-
bees, the church bells continuing to
ring all the while.
Very soon William called to Hen
ry, who was a little behind, saying
“Here comes the parson; he has
been to see old John Smith who is
sick, and if he catches us with these
May-bees he will be sure to give us
a lecture; so make haste and hide
yours. I have put mine, string and
all, into my pocket.”
Little Harry having no pocket in
his tattered jacket, put his hand, with
the May-bee in it, under his ragged
apron.
“ My little boys,” said the clergy
man, as he drew near to them, “ you
are wandering about this Sabbath
morning with your backs turned upon
the church, though the bells are ring
ing for divine service; and I fear
that you are engaged in some mis-

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THE MAY-BEE.
9
chief besides that of breaking the
Sabbath by playing in the lanes
when you ought to be preparing for
church.”
The clergyman then looked very
earnestly at each of the little boys,
and observing that Harry’s hand was
under his apron, and William’s in his
pocket, he insisted upon seeing what
it was that they wished so much to
hide. When they had shown him
what they had in their hands, which
they did very reluctantly, this good
clergyman took the poor insects, and
disengaging them from the pins,
placed them gently on the palm of
his hand, while he reproved the lit
tle boys for their cruelty.
“ Look,” said he, “ at these pretty
creatures which you have been thus
cruelly tormenting; see what a fine
brown polished coat they have on
their backs, and how beautifully

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LO THE MAr-BEE.
their breasts are variegated with
white and black. See also what a
delicate soft down covers their necks,
and how bright and black their eyes
appear. These little creatures are
made by a divine hand, and you have
no more right to put them to pain
than a giant would have to seize and
torture you.”
The good clergyman went on to
represent to the little boys that those
children who take delight in torment
ing living creatures of any kind, are
very wicked, and may be compared
to the devil, whose sole pleasure is
to cause anguish and distress. “He
first tempts men, and women, and
children to become wicked and for
sake God; after which, having them
completely under his dominion, he
derides and torments them without
pity.
“ It was to save us from this our

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THE MAT-BEE.
11
dreadful enemy, that the Lord Je
sus Christ came down from heaven
and bore in his own body the punish
ment of our sins upon the cross.
“ You must endeavor, my little
boys,” added he, “ to become like
him, for he was tender-hearted, and
full of pity; a bruised reed would
he not break; and smoking Jlax would
he not quench.
“ If you will come with me,” con
tinued the good clergyman, “ I will
receive you into my Sabbath-school •,
and I am sure that you will find a
Sabbath spent in learning the word
of God more pleasant and more pro
fitable than one wasted in idle and
wicked play.”
The good clergyman then took the
little insects, out of which he had
drawn the crooked pins, and placed
them on the branch of a tree, so high
that no little boy could reach them,
where he hoped they might recover

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12 THE MAY-BEE.
from the cruel treatment they had
received.
Now while this good clergyman
was employed in putting the little
May-bees out of danger, William
iumped over a stile and ran away.
But little Harry stood still, and when
the clergyman had finished his work
of pity, Harry went up close to him,
and said, “ Sir, if you will be so kind
as to take me to your school I will
go with you and learn to be good.”
The clergyman was much pleased
with the child’s simple address : so
taking little Harry by the hand,
he led him immediately toward the
school-house; and it would have
pleased you very much to have heard
how kindly this good man talked to
little Harry as they walked along to
gether. First he spoke to him about
the Lord Jesus Christ, and told him
how much our blessed Redeemer
loves little children. Then he talked to

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THE MAY-BEE.
13
him about heaven, where they who
love the Lord Jesus Christ in this life
go to dwell for ever with him after
death. And thus he continued talk
ing to him till they reached the
school-house, where a number of lit
tle boys were at that time learning
to read the holy book of God.
Then was little Harry brought to
Mr. Law, the teacher of the school,
who finding, on examination, that he
had never yet learned his letters,
gave him A B C, printed on a card,
and caused him to stand in a class
with some other little boys who were
also learning their ABC. So little
Harry obeyed his directions, and di
ligently applied to his lesson till it
was time to go to the house of God.
So little Harry went to church and
behaved very well through the whole
service, though he was so ignorant
as hardly to understand any thing
that the good clergyman said.

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THE MAY-BEE.
When the service was over little
Harry returned home to dinner, after
which he went to school again, and
was taken a second time to church,
whence he was brought back again
to school with the other boys. He
studied so hard as to learn six letters
and a little part of the Lord’s Pray
er that day, to the great satisfaction
of his teacher and to the joy of the
good minister.
Now I must tell you that the good
clergyman had a very faithful house
keeper, named Mrs. Harris. And it
was the custom of this good woman
to come into the school every Sunday
evening and invite the best boy to
drink tea with her. So this evening
she came in as usual, and speaking
to the school-master, she said, “ Well,
Mr. Law, I am come again, as you
see, to invite my company. Pray,
who is the best boy to-day ': Which
of. all these am I to invhe

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THE MAT-EEE.
15
“Why,” said Mr. Law, “if I
must speak the truth, I think little
Harry, who came to school this
morning for the first time, has done
as well, or better than any other boy
in the school. But yet I fear that
the poor child is scarcely fit to drink
tea with you on account of his very
shabby clothes.”
“ Nevermindhisdress, Mr. Law,”
said Mrs. Harris; “if he wishes to
be a good boy I shall not think about
his coat.”
Upon this she called for little Har
ry, when taking him by the hand she
led him to the house where her tea-
table was neatly set, and such a plate
of bread and butter prepared, as lit
tle Harry had not often seen.
Now Mrs. Harris talked very pro
perly to little Harry while they were
drinking tea together: among other
things she told him that although his

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16
THE MAY-BEE.
father and mother were dead, yet if
he would learn to fear and love God,
the Lord Jesus Christ would take
charge of him and place him with
the lambs of his flock.
Little Harry continued to frequent
the Sabbath-school, and kind Mrs.
Harris invited him often to drink tea
with her. Moreover she made him
shirts and stockings; in addition to
which the minister presented him
with a new hat, a suit of clothes,
and a pair of shoes every year.
The last 1 heard of Harry was
that the good clergyman had taken
him to live in his house; that lie had
become a pious boy, and that having
continually the fear of God before
him, he never did a cruel thing to
any poor animal which was under
his power, remembering that which
is written, “ a righteous man regard-
eth the life of his beast; but the ten
der mercies of the wicked are cruel.”
Proverbs, 12 : 10.
THE END.

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L

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A VARIETY
OF
BOOKS f6b childken
AND
YOUTH,
illustrated with neat engravings,
PUBLISHED BY THE
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY.
NEW-YORK : 150 NASSAU-STREET.
BOSTON; 28 CORNH1LL.
Also to be had in Philadelphia, Baltimore,
and otherprincpal cities and towns.