Again, instead of the regular reading lesson the school may well substitute the story of David, as given in the eleventh chapter of Chronicles.  “Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim.  And David was then in the hold, and the Philistines’ garrison was then at Bethlehem.  And David longed, and said, ’O that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem that is at the gate.’  And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David; but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the Lord, and said, ’My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing.  Shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with the jeopardy of their lives they brought.’  Therefore he would not drink it.”

Without any semblance of irreverence we may paraphrase this story slightly and have our own General Pershing stand in the place of David asking for water.  Then we can see three of his soldiers going across No Man’s Land in quest of the water which he craves.  When they return, bearing the water to him from the spring in the enemy’s territory, we can see him pouring the water upon the ground and refusing to drink it because of the hazard of the enterprise.  No fulsome explanation will need to be given to impress upon the pupils the loyalty of the soldiers to their general, nor yet the loyalty of the general to his soldiers.  Or again, in the oral English two of the pupils may be asked to tell the stories of Ruth and Esther, and certain it is, if these stories are told effectively, the pupils will thrill with admiration for the loyalty of these two noble characters.

On his way home for vacation a college student was telling his companion on the train of the trip ahead, relating that at such a time he would reach the junction and at a certain hour he would walk into his home just in time for supper; he concluded by paying a tribute to the noble qualities of his mother.  This man is now an attorney in a large city and it is inconceivable that he can ever be guilty of apostasy from the ideals and principles to which he reacted in his boyhood in that village home.  Whatever temptations may come to him, the mother’s face and voice and the memory of her high principles will forbid his yielding and hold him steady and loyal to that mother and her teaching.  He must feel that if he should debase himself he would dishonor her, and that he cannot do.  He can still hear her voice echoing from the years long gone, and feel the kindly touch of her hand upon his brow.  When troubles came, mother knew just what to do and soon the sun was shining again.  It was her magic that made the rough places smooth, her voice that exorcised all evil spirits.  She it was who drove the lions from his path and made it a place of peace and joy.  To be disloyal to her would be to lose his manhood.