Based on McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, here is a summary of each story and lesson presented in the text:
Summaries of Stories and Lessons
1. The Good Reader: This story recounts an anecdote of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. After two pages fail to read a petition effectively—one due to poor articulation and monotony, the other due to affectation—a young laborer's daughter named Ernestine is called to read. She reads with such genuine feeling and clarity that the King is moved to grant the petition's request for a widow’s son. The story emphasizes the importance of good elocution.
2. The Bluebell: A poem about a white flower in a dim ravine that watches a blue rift of sky and a gleaming star. Over time, the flower turns blue and its cup forms a tiny star, teaching the lesson that a patient child who strives for "all things pure and high" will eventually reflect their image.
3. The Gentle Hand: The narrator describes a visit to a humble home where a young girl, "Gentle Hand," uses a quiet voice and a light touch to calm a fierce dog and manage a stubborn pony that her father and brother could not control with force. The story illustrates the power of love and kindness over brute force.
4. The Grandfather: A poem depicting a peaceful summer day where a grandfather and his blue-eyed granddaughter fall asleep together in his easy-chair.
5. A Boy on a Farm: An essay by Charles Dudley Warner highlighting the indispensable role of a boy on a farm. The boy is described as a "factotum" who handles errands, chores, and various odd jobs that keep farm life moving.
6. The Singing Lesson: A nightingale is embarrassed after singing a few notes out of tune and hides away. A dove encourages her, noting that a "false note is really fun" from such a talented bird. The nightingale resumes her song, to the delight of listeners.
7. Do not Meddle: An old gentleman at Elm-Tree Hall seeks a boy to serve him but wants to ensure the boy is not overly curious or prying. He tests several boys in a room filled with "traps" like a dish cover hiding feathers, artificial cherries filled with pepper, and a box with a spring-loaded snake. Only Harry Gordon, who resists all temptations to meddle, is hired.
8. Work: A poem by Eliza Cook urging boys to embrace labor and not be ashamed of humble positions. It suggests that work is essential for health and that rest is most rewarding after a busy day.
9. The Maniac: This story tells of Conrad Lange, an honest collector of revenues in Berlin who became mentally unstable after discovering a perceived deficit in his accounts. Even after being told it was a simple miscalculation, he spent his remaining days compulsively repeating "Once one is two".
10. Robin Redbreast: A poem saying goodbye to summer and describing the arrival of autumn and winter, focusing on the plight of the Robin Redbreast.
11. The Fish I Didn't Catch: John Greenleaf Whittier recalls his first fishing trip with his uncle. After losing a fine pickerel right as he bragged about catching it, his uncle gives him the lasting advice: "Never brag of your fish before you catch him".
12. It Snows: A poem contrasting the reactions of various people—a schoolboy, an imbecile, a traveler, a belle, and a widow—to a snowstorm.
13. Respect for the Sabbath Rewarded: A barber in Bath decides to stop working on the Sabbath after hearing a sermon. Though he falls into extreme poverty, he eventually encounters a stranger who helps him discover he is the rightful heir to an immense fortune.
14. The Sands o' Dee: A poem by Charles Kingsley about a girl named Mary who is caught in a tide and mist while calling cattle home across the sands and is never seen alive again.
15. Select Paragraphs: A collection of verses from the Bible, primarily from the Psalms, focusing on praising God and His creation.
16. The Corn Song: A poem by Whittier celebrating the harvest of golden corn and thanking God for the gift.
17. The Venomous Worm: An allegorical piece describing the "worm of the still"—the spiral pipe used in distilling liquor—as a deadly "reptile" that destroys families and ruins lives through alcohol addiction.
18. The Festal Board: A poem warning against the "enticing bowl" and "enchanted cup" of alcohol, showing how a night of youth and beauty can lead to broken hearts, maniac screams, and a felon's bed.
19. How to Tell Bad News: A dialogue between a steward and his master where the steward reveals a series of escalating tragedies—starting with a dead magpie and ending with the master's complete financial ruin—in a misguided attempt to deliver the news gently.
20. The Battle of Blenheim: A poem by Robert Southey where an old man, Kaspar, describes a "famous victory" to his grandchildren, Peterkin and Wilhelmine. Despite the praise for the victory, the children question the point of the war and the destruction it caused.
21. "I Pity Them": A poor emigrant loses his only horse at a bridge. While many bystanders offer verbal pity, a "son of the West" offers a ten-dollar bill as "the amount of my pity," prompting others to contribute and help the man reach his destination.
22. An Elegy on Madam Blaize: A humorous poem by Oliver Goldsmith that uses irony to describe a woman who "never wanted a good word—from those who spoke her praise" and died because her "disorder [was] mortal".
23. King Charles II. and William Penn: A dialogue where William Penn explains to the King his plan to settle Pennsylvania without soldiers, relying instead on justice and purchasing land fairly from the Indians rather than relying on the "right of discovery".
24. What I Live For: A poem expressing a commitment to live for those who love the speaker, for the good they can do, and for a future where man lives by reason and "every wrong thing [is] righted".
25. The Righteous Never Forsaken: A widow in a snow-covered pine cottage offers her last mouthful of food to a weary traveler. The traveler reveals himself to be her long-lost son, returned from the Indies with wealth to reward her goodness.
26. Abou Ben Adhem: A poem by Leigh Hunt about a man who tells an angel he loves his fellow-men. The next night, the angel returns and shows that Ben Adhem’s name leads the list of those blessed by the love of God.
27. Lucy Forester: A six-year-old girl gets lost in the Scottish hills. After a night of searching and a false report of her death, a neighbor finds her and restores her to her joyful parents.
28. The Reaper and the Flowers: A poem by Longfellow where Death is depicted as a Reaper who takes both "bearded grain" and "flowers" (children) to be transplanted into the "fields of light" in Paradise.
29. The Town Pump: A personified town pump speaks, claiming it is the most important town officer because it provides pure, free water to everyone and serves as a "grand reformer" against the "fiery fountains of the still".
30. Good-night: A poem by Peter Parley describing nature settling down to sleep as the sun sets.
31. An Old-fashioned Girl: An excerpt from Louisa M. Alcott where a girl named Polly visits the Shaw family. Polly's simple, "old-fashioned" ways and singing please the family's elderly matriarch, who laments how modern children grow up too quickly.
32. My Mother’s Hands: A poem honoring a mother's wrinkled, hardworking hands that "rested not when mine were at their play".
33. The Discontented Pendulum: A fable about a clock's pendulum that stops working because it becomes overwhelmed calculating how many millions of times it must tick in the future. The dial reminds it that it only has to execute one tick at a time, and the clock resumes its work.
34. The Death of the Flowers: A poem by Bryant reflecting on the "melancholy days" of autumn when flowers perish and recalling a gentle young friend who died like the flowers.
35. The Thunder-storm: A descriptive passage by Washington Irving about a summer storm in the Highlands of the Hudson River.
36. April Day: A poem by Caroline Anne Southey describing the quiet, steady rain of an April day and the subsequent burst of fragrance and light.
37. The Tea-rose: Florence decides to give her prized tea-rose to a poor seamstress, Mary Stephens, rather than a wealthy friend. She explains to her cousin that the poor also yearn for beauty and that a single flower can bring "untold enjoyment" to a life of toil.
38. The Cataract of Lodore: A rhythmic poem by Robert Southey describing the chaotic, multi-layered journey of water descending a cataract.
39. The Bobolink: An essay by Irving comparing the bobolink’s career to that of a boy. He describes the bird's transition from a "spirit of the meadows" in spring to a "gross little sensualist" (the rice-bird) that eventually ends up as a dish on a table, warning against "gross and dissipated indulgence".
40. Robert of Lincoln: A poem by Bryant about the bobolink (Robert of Lincoln), contrasting his merry song and gay black coat with his "Quaker wife's" quiet, patient life.
42. Rebellion in Massachusetts State-prison: A narrative about a prison rebellion suppressed not by force, but by the "moral force" and "firm determination" of an officer and a commander who refused to yield to the convicts' demands.
43. Faithless Nelly Gray: A humorous, pun-filled poem by Thomas Hood about a soldier, Ben Battle, who loses his legs in war and then loses his sweetheart, Nelly Gray, because she won't have a man "with both legs in the grave".
44. The Generous Russian Peasant: A story about Flor Silin, who provides free corn to his neighbors during a famine. When they later try to repay him, he refuses, telling them to give to those still in need.
45. Forty Years Ago: A poem reflecting on a return to a childhood village and school-house, noting the changes and the many friends who have since passed away.
46. Mrs. Caudle’s Lecture: A humorous monologue by Douglas Jerrold where Mrs. Caudle berates her husband for a missing shirt button, using it as a springboard for various complaints about her "aggravating" life.
47. The Village Blacksmith: A poem by Longfellow celebrating the strength, honest labor, and simple faith of a village blacksmith.
48. The Relief of Lucknow: A letter describing the desperate conditions during the Siege of Lucknow and the eventual joy when the city is relieved.
73. The Examination: An excerpt from a story about Locke Amsden, a prospective teacher, being examined by a shrewd farmer named Bunker. Locke proves his worth by using simple experiments to teach a boy why smoke rises, demonstrating his ability to "teach others to think".
74. The Isle of Long Ago: A poem about the "river of Time" and the "magical isle" of the past where we bury our memories and treasures.
75. The Boston Massacre: A historical account by George Bancroft of the events of March 5, 1770, leading to the conflict between British soldiers and Boston citizens.
110. Dissertation on Roast Pig: A classic humorous essay by Charles Lamb detailing the accidental discovery of roast pig in China by a boy named Bo-bo, who inadvertently burned down his father's house.
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The story "Do Not Meddle," which appears as Lesson VII in McGuffey’s Fifth Eclectic Reader, is provided below in its entirety:
VII. DO NOT MEDDLE.
1. About twenty years ago there lived a singular gentleman in the Old Hall among the elm-trees. He was about three-score years of age, very rich, and somewhat odd in many of his habits, but for generosity and benevolence he had no equal.
2. No poor cottager stood in need of comforts, which he was not ready to supply; no sick man or woman languished for want of his assistance; and not even a beggar, unless a known impostor, went empty-handed from the Hall. Like the village pastor described in Goldsmith's poem of the Deserted Village,
"His house was known to all the vagrant train; He chid their wand'rings, but relieved their pain; The long-remembered beggar was his guest, Whose beard descending swept his aged breast".
3. Now it happened that the old gentleman wanted a boy to wait upon him at table, and to attend him in different ways, for he was very fond of young people. But much as he liked the society of the young, he had a great aversion to that curiosity in which many young people are apt to indulge. He used to say, "The boy who will peep into a drawer will be tempted to take something out of it; and he who will steal a penny in his youth will steal a pound in his manhood".
4. No sooner was it known that the old gentleman was in want of a boy, than twenty applications were made for the situation; but he determined not to engage any one until he had in some way ascertained that he did not possess a curious, prying disposition.
5. On Monday morning seven lads, dressed in their Sunday clothes, with bright and happy faces, made their appearance at the Hall, each of them desiring to obtain the situation. Now the old gentleman, being of a singular disposition, had prepared a room in such a way that he might easily know if any of the young people who applied were given to meddle unnecessarily with things around them, or to peep into cupboards and drawers. He took care that the lads who were then at Elm-Tree Hall should be shown into this room one after another.
6. And first, Charles Brown was sent into the room, and told that he would have to wait a little. So Charles sat down on a chair near the door. For some time he was very quiet, and looked about him; but there seemed to be so many curious things in the room that at last he got up to peep at them.
7. On the table was placed a dish cover, and Charles wanted sadly to know what was under it, but he felt afraid of lifting it up. Bad habits are strong things; and, as Charles was of a curious disposition, he could not withstand the temptation of taking one peep. So he lifted up the cover.
8. This turned out to be a sad affair; for under the dish cover was a heap of very light feathers; part of the feathers, drawn up by a current of air, flew about the room, and Charles, in his fright, putting the cover down hastily, puffed the rest of them off the table.
9. What was to be done? Charles began to pick up the feathers one by one; but the old gentleman, who was in an adjoining room, hearing a scuffle, and guessing the cause of it, entered the room, to the consternation of Charles Brown, who was very soon dismissed as a boy who had not principle enough to resist even a slight temptation.
10. When the room was once more arranged, Henry Wilkins was placed there until such time as he should be sent for. No sooner was he left to himself than his attention was attracted by a plate of fine, ripe cherries. Now Henry was uncommonly fond of cherries, and he thought it would be impossible to miss one cherry among so many. He looked and longed, and longed and looked, for some time, and just as he had got off his seat to take one, he heard, as he thought, a foot coming to the door; but no, it was a false alarm.
11. Taking fresh courage, he went cautiously and took a very fine cherry, for he was determined to take but one, and put it into his mouth. It was excellent; and then he persuaded himself that he ran no risk in taking another; this he did, and hastily popped it into his mouth.
12. Now, the old gentleman had placed a few artificial cherries at the top of the others, filled with Cayenne pepper; one of these Henry had unfortunately taken, and it made his mouth smart and burn most intolerably. The old gentleman heard him coughing, and knew very well what was the matter. The boy that would take what did not belong to him, if no more than a cherry, was not the boy for him. Henry Wilkins was sent about his business without delay, with his mouth almost as hot as if he had put a burning coal into it.
13. Rufus Wilson was next introduced into the room and left to himself; but he had not been there ten minutes before he began to move from one place to another. He was of a bold, resolute temper, but not overburdened with principle; for if he could have opened every cupboard, closet, and drawer in the house, without being found out, he would have done it directly.
14. Having looked around the room, he noticed a drawer to the table, and made up his mind to peep therein. But no sooner did he lay hold of the drawer knob than he set a large bell ringing, which was concealed under the table. The old gentleman immediately answered the summons, and entered the room.
15. Rufus was so startled by the sudden ringing of the bell, that all his impudence could not support him. He looked as though any one might knock him down with a feather. The old gentleman asked him if he had rung the bell because he wanted any thing. Rufus was much confused, and stammered, and tried to excuse himself, but all to no purpose, for it did not prevent him from being ordered off the premises.
16. George Jones was then shown into the room by an old steward; and being of a cautious disposition, he touched nothing, but only looked at the things about him. At last he saw that a closet door was a little open, and, thinking it would be impossible for any one to know that he had opened it a little more, he very cautiously opened it an inch farther, looking down at the bottom of the door, that it might not catch against any thing and make a noise.
17. Now had he looked at the top, instead of the bottom, it might have been better for him; for to the top of the door was fastened a plug, which filled up the hole of a small barrel of shot. He ventured to open the door another inch, and then another, till, the plug being pulled out of the barrel, the leaden shot began to pour out at a strange rate; at the bottom of the closet was placed a tin pan, and the shot falling upon this pan made such a clatter that George was frightened half out of his senses.
18. The old gentleman soon came into the room to inquire what was the matter, and there he found George nearly as pale as a sheet. George was soon dismissed.
19. It now came the turn of Albert Jenkins to be put into the room. The other boys had been sent to their homes by different ways, and no one knew what the experience of the other had been in the room of trial.
20. On the table stood a small round box, with a screw top to it, and Albert, thinking it contained something curious, could not be easy without unscrewing the top; but no sooner did he do this than out bounced an artificial snake, full a yard long, and fell upon his arm. He started back, and uttered a scream which brought the old gentleman to his elbow. There stood Albert, with the bottom of the box in one hand, the top in the other, and the snake on the floor.
21. "Come, come," said the old gentleman, "one snake is quite enough to have in the house at a time; therefore, the sooner you are gone the better". With that he dismissed him, without waiting a moment for his reply.
22. William Smith next entered the room, and being left alone soon began to amuse himself in looking at the curiosities around him. William was not only curious and prying, but dishonest, too, and observing that the key was left in the drawer of a book-case, he stepped on tiptoe in that direction. The key had a wire fastened to it, which communicated with an electrical machine, and William received such a shock as he was not likely to forget. No sooner did he sufficiently recover himself to walk, than he was told to leave the house, and let other people lock and unlock their own drawers.
23. The other boy was Harry Gordon, and though he was left in the room full twenty minutes, he never during that time stirred from his chair. Harry had eyes in his head as well as the others, but he had more integrity in his heart; neither the dish cover, the cherries, the drawer knob, the closet door, the round box, nor the key tempted him to rise from his seat; and the consequence was that, in half an hour after, he was engaged in the service of the old gentleman at Elm-Tree Hall. He followed his good old master to his grave, and received a large legacy for his upright conduct in his service.
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