Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: IV. ]AMES was five years old when he first set out for school with a hold of Charlotte’s hand. For two years he learned little. The spelling-book constantly wanted stitching and gumming to keep it like a book at all. He was full of fun and mischief, and was such a droll little fellow that he could set all around him a laughing when he liked; and he had a way of putting questions which those at home found hard to answer. He did master one hymn, of which he was very proud, and he was never done repeating it, ?
Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, Look upon a little child: Pity my simplicity; Suffer me to come to thee.
Fain I would to thee be brought; Gracious God, forbid it not: In the kingdom of thy grace Give a little child a place. Each petition which that hymn contains seemed at last to be granted to the little boy. After going to Duncan Street school he made rapid progress. Mr Foulis never had a quicker pupil. He soon wrote a clear, distinct hand, and was equal to any in the class in history and geography. At the examination he was seen with the new pointer in his hand, finding the places on the map as fast as the best scholars of a large class tried to puzzle him. He got even more credit than he may have deserved sometimes; for he was so small for his age as to pass for two years younger than he was. The sparkle of his eye, and the comical, quizzical look he could give, and then be as grave as a judge again, made friends for him. When he had gone SCHOOL WORK- over four maps, one of the ministers present said to him,
My little fellow, you would make a capital guide through Palestine, ?pleasing the child greatly. When Mr Foulis, his teacher, was appointed to the Heriot Schools, James entreated to follow him; but he was sent for one year to the Normal Sc…
