Luke, Jemima Thompson, the wife of Rev. Samuel Luke, an Independent minister of England, was the daughter of Thomas Thompson. She was born August 19, 1813, at Colebrooke Terrace, Islington. When only thirteen years of age she began writing for the Juvenile Magazine. She published a volume titled The Female Jesuit in 1851 and A Memoir of Eliza Ann Harris, of Clifton, in 1859, but her name is known to the Christian world almost wholly through the one hymn found in this volume, I think when I read that sweet story of old. She was married to the late Samuel Luke, a Congregational Minister, in 1843. Mrs. Luke died February 2, 1906.
“Boys,” said Polly, “I know just how to have a circus. First, we must make a ring. We will use sticks of wood from the wood pile. I asked father if we might.
“We will lay them down in a circle. You can each bring two sticks at a time. I will bring three.”
It took some minutes to make the circus ring large enough. But, at last, it was done. The sticks of wood were laid end to end in a circle.
“Now let us have the circus,” said Peter.
“First, Tim must go home and get Billy, his goat,” said Polly. “Billy is to be one of the performers. Bring Collie, too, Tim.”
Collie is Tim’s dog. He is a wise and beautiful sheep dog.
Tim and Peter went up the bill. They found Hilly out by the barn.
“Come along, Billy,” said Peter. “We need you in the circus.”
Billy would not stir. He did not know what fun a circus is.
“I know how to get him,” said Tim. “There is Collie. He will get Billy for us. He knows how to drive cows. I think that he can drive old Billy.”
Tim called to Collie. At last Collie understood what he was to do. He ran behind Billy and nipped at his heels. This made Billy turn around. He put down his head. He chased Collie. He tried to butt him.
Peter and Tim started out of the yard. Collie followed them. Billy followed Collie. At last they were at Peter’s. Polly was waiting in the ring with Wag-wag.
When Billy saw Wag-wag, he started after him. Wag-wag ran around in a circle. Billy chased him. “Oh, look, look!” shouted Peter. “That is the first part of our circus. It is a race between a goat and a dog.”
“That is all Billy needs to do,” said Tim. “He must not work too hard. He may go home now. What will come next?”
“I have two things to come next,” said Polly. “I fixed them while you were up after Billy. Here is the first. We will draw it around the ring.”
Polly drew Peter’s cart out from one of the tents. On the cart, there was a box. It had a cover. It had slats across both sides. Some kind of fruit had come in it.
There was no fruit in it now. Instead, there was a fierce, wild panther. It was the fiercest kind of panther, for it was black.
“Mew, mew, mew,” cried that panther. And she walked around and around the cage trying to get out.
Polly said, “Be quiet, panther. You are a very wild animal. I must draw your cage around the circus ring. Everybody wishes to see you. In a little while I shall give you a whole sheep to eat.”
“Mew, mew, mew,” still cried the panther. Perhaps that meant, “I am not a panther. I am Blacky.”
“I like animals,” said Tim. “I wish that we had more.”
“I have two more,” said Polly. “I will show one to you in Peter’s tent. Come now.”
She took the wild panther out of the cage. She carried her to the tent.
She said, “Ladies and gentlemen, here is the most wonderful cat in the world. She can catch fish. None of you have cats that can do such a smart thing.”
“Maybe that is so,” said Tim. “But we can catch fish ourselves. What comes next?” “You do,” said Polly. “You must jump down from the very top of the cage. Go and get one of the back-kitchen chairs. We shall put the cage on top of it. You can jump from that.”
Tim jumped several times. Then Peter jumped several times. Then they both turned somersaults.
At last they thought they would jump from the top of the cage together. They climbed up on the cage. But it was not strong enough to hold them.
The top smashed in. Off the chair they both tumbled, while Polly laughed and laughed.
She said, “I forgot to have any clowns. You are very good ones. Come into the other tent now. That is a side show. I have something wonderful there.”
When they came to the other tent she said, “Ladies and gentlemen, here is the most wonderful thing in the world. It is a dwarf. This dwarf will never grow any larger. She will always stay just the size that she is now.”
“Oh,” said Tim, “that is Blacky’s little kitten — the one that never grew up. Is she a dwarf?”
“Yes,” said Polly. “Just think! Isn’t it wonderful? How should you like to stay always just as little as you are now? “
“I should not like it,” said Tim. “Why don’t you feed her? I have to eat lots of things to make me grow.”
“Feeding her doesn’t make her grow,” said Polly. “We have tried everything. She is just a dwarf. She will always stay a dwarf. Come out now. I have one more thing to show you. It is a dancing bear.” Polly went to the circus ring. She called to Collie. She took his forepaws in her hands. She made him stand up straight.
Then she said, “Come, dancing bear, come and dance.” And she pulled Collie after her around the ring.
Peter and Tim clapped their hands.
Tim said, “I used to call Collie, Jersey cow. Perhaps I shall call him the dancing bear, now.”
“That is all the circus today,” said Polly. “But we need not put the ring back tonight. I asked father.
“Tomorrow we can have the same circus and ask the other children to come. We will charge ten pins for each child.”
“All right,” said Tim and Peter. “That will be fun. We will be better clowns tomorrow.”
Noah had three sons. From those three sons all of the nations of the world came from. Here is a list of the sons of Noah, where they settled, and some of their descendants.
The Descendants of Japhet
Son’s Name
The Modern Land Area of Nations (People groups)
Gomer
The Land of Germany in Europe
Magog
Dwellers north of the Black Sea
Madai
Medes in the Northwest of Iran
Javan
Some of the original Greek tribes
Tubal
Regions of Spain and Portugal
Meshech
Russia, especially regions in and around Georgia
Tiras
The Persians and the area of Iran
Son of Japhet
Grandsons of Japhet
Gomer
1. Ashken 2. Riphath 3. Togarmah
Magog
?
Madai
?
Javan
1. Elishah 2. Tarshish 3. Kittim 4. Dodanim
Tubal
?
Meshech
?
Tiras
?
The Descendants of Ham
Son’s Name
Modern Land Areas or Nations (People Groups)
Cush
South of Egypt in northern Africa
Mizraim
Areas of upper and lower Egypt
Phut
Libya
Canaan
Ancient land of Israel and Lebanon
Sons Of Ham
Grandsons of Ham
Cush
1. Seba 2. Havilah 3. Sabtah 4. Raamah (had 2 sons: Sheba and Dedan) 5. Sabtecha 6. Nimrod (lived in babel which is the area of Babylon)
Mizraim
1. Ludim 2. Anamim 3. Lehabim 4. Naphtuhim 5. Pathrusim 6. Casluhim (The Philistines descended from him) 7. Caphtorim
Phut
?
Canaan (the father of the various groups that the Israelites had to fight to possess the promise land)
Peter must have his hair cut soon,” said mother. “It is growing very long.”
“Yes, it is,” said Polly. “I shall have to braid it.”
“That will hardly do, Polly. Boys do not have their hair braided. They have it cut.”
“I cannot take him to the barber’s today,” said father. “I cannot take him tomorrow. The next day is Sunday. And Monday is a holiday.”
“Oh, dear!” said Peter. “Can’t you ever take me?”
“That is only four days, Peter,” said Polly.
“I know it, Polly. But my hair will grow very long. I do not wish it braided. Oh, dear! Oh, dear!”
“I will not braid it, Peter. I was only teasing you.”
“Father,” Peter said, “let me go to the barber’s alone. I know where it is.”
There was no barber where Peter and Polly lived. When Peter had his hair cut, he went to the nearest village. Peter and Polly always called this “Large Village.”
“How can you get to Large Village, Peter?”
“I can walk,” said Peter.
“It is four miles,” said Polly. “I guess you can’t walk so far as that. I think you would stop when you came to Farmer Brown’s.”
“That is just halfway,” said Peter. “I think I should not stop, either. I could not get my hair cut there.”
“You wait a little while, Peter,” said father. “The blacksmith is going to Large Village today. Perhaps he will take you with him. I will go over to his shop to see him. Then I will telephone to you.” “Oh, goody, goody!” cried Peter. “I hope he will take me. I like to ride with him.”
In a few minutes the telephone rang.
“You may answer it, Peter,” said mother. “Perhaps it is father telephoning to you.”
“Hello,” said Peter. “Oh, will he take me? Yes, I will get ready now. Goodbye.”
“What did father say?” asked mother.
“He said that the blacksmith will take me. I must go to father’s store now.”
Peter ran to the store. Father was busy with some customers.
“Here is your money,” he said. “Keep it safe. Now go outside and watch for the blacksmith. He will soon be along.”
When the blacksmith came, Peter climbed up into his wagon. The seat was high. Peter liked that.
The blacksmith had two horses. Peter wished to drive them. So he took hold of the ends of the reins. He played that he was driving.
The blacksmith and Peter talked of many things. They talked about shoeing horses and mending wagons. They spoke of ponies. They spoke of boiling springs.
And then they talked about hair that was too long, and about going to the barber’s. At last they were in Large Village. They came to the barber’s shop. “Here we are, Peter,” said the blacksmith. “Have you your money? I shall come back for you in a little while. You wait for me.”
Peter went in. He said to one man, “I must have my hair cut. Will you cut it? Here is the money to pay you.”
“Yes, I will,” said the barber. “Climb up into this chair. How will you have it cut — short or long?”
“It is long now,” said Peter. “So I will have it cut short.”
“Very well,” said the man. “Short it shall be.” And he began to snip, snip, snip with his shears.
At last the hair was cut. Peter jumped down from the chair. He put on his cap. It did not fit. It was too large. He felt of the back of his head.
His hair was stiff and short. He climbed up on the chair and looked in the mirror. “Oh, oh!” he cried. “My hair is short like father’s. I have always wished it to be like that.”
“You said to cut it short,” answered the barber. “Was that wrong? Won’t your father like it?”
“Maybe he will not care,” said Peter. “And anyway, I am glad. There is the blacksmith. I must go now. Goodbye.” “See my hair,” said Peter to the blacksmith.
“I can’t see much, Peter. You must have left most of it behind you. Is that the way you were told to have it cut?”
“I wasn’t told,” said Peter. “Maybe my father will not care, and I like it.” Peter got out of the wagon at father’s store.
When father saw him, he said, “Well, I never! Now whose boy is this?”
“Oh father! Don’t you know me? It is Peter. It is your boy.”
“So it is,” said father. “But where is your hair? Your cap is too large.”
“My hair is at the barber’s. Do you care? I like it short.”
“No, Peter. I do not, much. But I think that mother may care. She likes it cut the other way. It is my fault, not yours. I forgot to tell you what to say to the barber. You wait for me here. I am going home to dinner in a minute.
“We will go together and tell mother about it. She will laugh. You do look funny. Your hair will grow before winter, so perhaps she will not mind.
If you leave a piece of fruit or a vegetable on the counter for too long, it will change color and develop an unpleasant odor.
A fuzzy substance known as mold can grow on fruits or vegetables.
This process is called rotting.
Why do things rot?
When a farmer removes fruits or vegetables from their plants, they start to die immediately.
All living things are made of small units called cells. As the fruits and vegetables die, their cells start to break down.
Tiny microorganisms called bacteria, molds, and yeasts floating in the air land on the fruit and begin to further break down the fruit or vegetable.
Moisture (water), light, temperature, and microorganisms work together to speed spoiling process.
How can we prevent things from rotting?
Keeping foods in the refrigerator slows the spoiling process (less moisture, fewer microorganisms, less light, colder temperature), but food will eventually spoil.
Keeping foods in the freezer at even colder temperatures slows the spoiling process even more.
Never eat rotten food. It might make you sick. Rotten food may small bad, be a strange color, or have fuzzy mold spots on it.
Pee Yew! That’s Rotten!
Objective:
Observe the rotting process.
Materials:
Fruit, small dish
Procedure:
Leave a small chunk of fruit or vegetable out on the countertop in a small dish.
Observe the dish after a few hours and draw a picture of what you see.
Observe the dish after a day and draw a picture of what you see.
Observe the dish each subsequent day over the next week and draw a picture of what you see.
Results:
What changes did you observe over the week?
How long does it take for the fruit or vegetable to rot?
Fire is a reaction between oxygen, and a fuel, such as wood or gas, and it also needs heat to start. Most fires are combustion reactions, which occur when elements like carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen mix and react quickly. There are various types of fires, including wood fires, gas fires, and even metal fires, and they can be extremely dangerous if not managed properly.
Fire is a reaction that produces heat and light.
Fire produces red, orange, yellow, white, and blue flames that we can see, where red is the coolest and blue is the hottest.
Fire is very dangerous. Children should never play with fire and should only be around fires when responsible adults are present.
The Fire Triangle
Fire needs three things to burn: oxygen, fuel, and heat. This is often called the “fire triangle.”
Fuel: This is anything that can burn, like wood, coal, or oil.
Oxygen: Fire needs oxygen from the air to keep burning.
Heat: Once a fire starts, it creates its own heat, which helps it keep burning.
If you take away any one of these three things, the fire will stop.
Stopping a Fire
You can stop a fire in three main ways:
Remove the fuel: If a fire runs out of things to burn, it will stop. Firefighters sometimes remove trees or buildings in a fire’s path to stop it from spreading.
Remove the oxygen: This is called “smothering” a fire. If you cover a fire with something that blocks oxygen, like sand or a special blanket, it will go out. Fires cannot burn without oxygen.
Remove the heat: The most common way to do this is by using water. Water absorbs the heat, cooling the fire down until it stops burning.
However, some fires, like those involving certain metals, can be tricky. For example, magnesium fires can even burn in carbon dioxide, so they can’t be smothered with a regular fire extinguisher.
Humans and Fire
Learning to control fire was a huge step for early humans. It changed their lives in many ways:
Cooking: Fire allowed people to cook food. This made food safer to eat and easier to digest.
Warmth: Fire provided heat, helping people stay warm in cold weather. This meant they could live in cooler places.
Protection: Fire helped keep dangerous animals away at night.
Tools: Over time, humans learned to use fire to make charcoal and manage the land.
Fire in Farming
During the Neolithic Revolution, as people began farming, they used fire to manage the land. They conducted “controlled burns” or “cool fires,” which were unlike the destructive “hot fires” that ruin soil and plants. Cool fires were typically done in spring and autumn to clear small plants and dry leaves. This practice helped prevent large, dangerous fires and created diverse environments where plants and animals could thrive.
Farmers often use fire to clear land for planting in a method called “slash-and-burn” agriculture. They cut down vegetation and burn it, releasing nutrients into the soil to help new crops grow. While this can benefit small farmers, it also has downsides. With growing populations and a warming climate, these fires can become uncontrollable, harming nature, destroying buildings, and producing smoke that causes health issues and further warms the atmosphere. Each year, vast areas of land around the world are burned.
Modern Uses of Fire
Fire is still used in many important ways today.
Vehicles: Most cars and trucks use fire inside their engines to make them move. This happens in the internal combustion engine.
Electricity: Many power plants use fire to heat water and create steam, which then generates electricity for homes and businesses.
Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
This is often times a difficult passage to understand especially the “forgetting those things which as behind” part. It is not possible to forget completely. I don’t believe that we are meant as human beings to completely forget. However, it is possible to learn from past mistakes.
Many years ago, I was having problems. My mom explained this verse to me. She explained that if you stay focused on the past you can’t reach what is in front of you. Jesus has plans for you. You will never accomplish His plans for you if you stay focused on the past. She used a demonstration to explain this to me. Here is the demonstration:
Pretend that 1 spot in your home is the past. (We used the front door.)
Pretend that an area in front of that 1st spot is what Jesus wants for you. (We used the living room).
Now start at the past. Start walking towards the future.
Now look back at the past and try to walk towards the future. (It is not possible.)
Now set your eyes where Jesus is (the future) and try to walk towards the future. (It is now possible.)
Remember the time when Jesus walked on the water and Peter asked to come out on the water to Jesus. Matthew 14:28-30 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
Notice that as long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to walk towards Jesus, but when he took his eyes off of Jesus, he started sinking. It is the same way with us. We can only go forward to Jesus when we keep our eyes on Jesus and stop worrying about our past (forgetting those things which are behind). This sometimes takes many hours of prayer, but it is more than worth the time in prayer.
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