GALLERY LESSONS ON A FEATHER.
We will suppose the children all properly seated, the little girls
on one side of the gallery and the little boys on the other, as
represented on the plan-plate. If the morning is fine and clear, a
lesson may be given on an object that the children are not frequently
in the habit of seeing; but should the weather be hazy, and the
atmosphere heavy, then a lesson must be given on some object which
they all frequently see, say, for example, a feather. The feather must
be held up in the hand, or placed in a small niche on the top of a
pointer, so that every child will see it, and it must be moved about
in various directions to arrest their attention. The first lesson
should be pure development, which is to get every idea from the
children relative to the object before you. Explain to them yours; as
for example,
"What is this?" The universal shout will be, "A feather."
You may then
ask them, What are its uses? Some little creatures will say, to blow
about; others will say, to cover birds; others will say, to stuff
pillows and beds to sleep upon. Having got all the information out of
them you can in their own simple language, you have acted according
to
nature's law, and it is now your turn to infuse additional information
into their minds, and, give them the benefit of your superior
knowledge; which may be done as follows:--You have told me that
feathers are useful to cover birds, it was for this that they were
made by God; they keep the birds warm just in the same way as your
clothes keep you from being cold; and as the poor birds cannot make
themselves clothes as men can, God has given them feathers that they
may not be cold when the bad weather comes. The feathers are useful
to the birds also in flying; the long feathers in a bird's wing keep
him
in the air, which he could not fly through if he was covered with
any thing else, because feathers are very light. Seven of the large
feathers out of the great eagle's wing would not weigh more than two
halfpennies. The wings of a bird make him able to fly, and the tail
guides him through the air, just as you may see the men steer boats
with the rudder; and if you pulled the feathers off his tail, he would
not be able to fly near so straight or fast as when they are on. When
the rain falls on the feathers, they are never soaked through with it
as a piece of rag would be if you threw water on it, because they are
covered with a sort of oil which does not let in the water. If you
ever look at a duck dive into the water, you can see it when it comes
up quite dry; but if you dipped you head into the water it would wet
it all over. When little birds, such as the sparrow and canary, come
out of the egg, they have no feathers on, but the old ones cover them
with their wings to keep the cold away, and the feathers soon
grow, and then they can fly away and find food and make nests for
themselves; but large birds, such as the goose, turkey, hen, and duck,
have a sort of soft down on them when they come out of the shell,
and little ducks will go and swim as soon as they are hatched, as I
suppose some of you have seen.
Some birds' feathers are much prettier than others: the goose has not
such pretty feathers as the swan, nor the swan as the peacock; but we
must not think ill of the goose for this, for its flesh is better to
eat than either the peacock or swan. I am sure many of you little
children like roast goose. The peacock has very pretty feathers
indeed, and so has the pheasant, and the drake, and the cock; but some
birds that live in countries many hundred miles away from this, have
much prettier than any bird that lives in this country. This feather
that we have for our lesson is the feather of a goose; it is not very
pretty, but if we examine it well we shall find it is very curious,
and all the men in the world could not make one like it. Goose
feathers are the most useful; the small ones make stuffing for pillows
and beds, and the large ones make pens to write with. Birds change
their feathers often; they drop off and they get new ones; this is
called moulting.
Having thus given the children as much information on the subject as
they will be likely to be able to digest properly, you may then get
it
back from them by question and answer; as for instance
Q. What have we been talking about?
A. Birds' feathers.
Q. Do they do the birds any good?
A. Yes, keep them warm.
Q. What more good?
A. Make them able to fly.
Q. Who gives the birds feathers to make them warm?
A. God.
Q. Are feathers very heavy?
A. No, very light.
Q. What is the reason that they are very light?
A. That they may fly easily.
Q. What part of the body does a bird fly with?
A. Its wings.
Q. Is no other part useful in flying?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you remember what part?
A. Its tail.
Q. Of what use is its tail?
A. To guide it.
Q. What do you mean by guiding it?
A. Turning it any way it wants to go.
Q. What is the reason that birds' feathers do not get all full of wet
when the rain falls on them?
A. Because there is an oily juice that makes the rain fall off.
Q. When little birds, such as sparrows and robins, come out of the eggs,
have they got feathers?
A. No, they are naked.
Q. Are they very long naked?
A. No, in a few days the feathers grow.
Q. Is it not curious that the cold does not kill the little birds while
they
are naked?
A. So it would, only the old ones sit over them and keep them warm.
Q. Are ducks and turkeys and hens naked when the come out of the shell?
A. No.
Q. What are they covered with?
A. A sort of down.
Q. Do you know of any bird that has very pretty feathers?
A. Yes, the peacock.
Q. Is it prettier than the goose?
A. Yes.
Q. Is it so useful?
A. No.
Q. What do the goose feathers make?
A. The feathers in the quill make pelts?
Q. What do the small ones make?
A. They make stuffing for pillows and beds.
Q. Where do the prettiest birds live?
A. In very warm places, far away from this.
Q. Do the same feathers always remain on a bird?
A. No, they drop off, and new ones come.
Q. What is this called?
A. Moulting.
Such lessons as this will never be forgotten by the little ones. They
will learn to adore the great God at the sight of any thing he has
made. It is hoped they learn to love to read Nature's book when they
grow older, as every correct notion obtained by a child, through a
natural object, which it is frequently accustomed to meet with, can
never be entirely effaced; and what is more, it prepares the way,
at some future time, for a larger amount of knowledge as to God's
revealed will.
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