Little Susan and her lamb
Author: Unknown
Date: 2020-06-13T00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Christian life -- Juvenile fiction; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Children's stories; Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Sunday school literature; Animal welfare -- Juvenile fiction; Country life -- Juvenile fiction; Lambs -- Juvenile fiction

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Little Susan and her lamb

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Little Susan and her lamb

Creator: American Sunday-School Union

Printer: Lawrence Johnson

Release date: June 13, 2020 [eBook #62391]

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Charlene Taylor and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE SUSAN AND HER LAMB ***

No. 83 II. SERIES.

LITTLE SUSAN
AND
HER LAMB.

PHILADELPHIA:
American S. School Union,
Depository, 148 Chesnut Street.
1827.
Stereotyped by L. Johnson.

See page 8.

LITTLE SUSAN
AND
HER LAMB.

PHILADELPHIA:
American Sunday School Union
Depository, 148 Chesnut street.
1827.

LITTLE SUSAN
AND
HER LAMB.

One fine summer’s morning, little Susan’s mother called her to come and have her breakfast. She took her porringer, and sat down on a green bank near the cottage door to eat the bread and milk she had that morning, and liked it very much, as she did not always have milk for breakfast. While Susan was eating her breakfast, she thought about a very pretty book, which had been given her the week before as a reward for her regular attendance at the Sunday School, during the last half year; for it had pleased God that she should enjoy good health, and Susan knew too well the value of what she learned at the Sunday school, ever to be absent when she could attend. I never heard of her playing about on a Sunday with rude idle children, she knew that would be breaking the Sabbath, and she desired to keep it holy. Which children do you think are the happiest, those who play about, and get into mischief on a Sunday, or those good children who attend public worship and endeavour to keep holy the Sabbath day?

While Susan was eating her breakfast, she thought about her reward book, as I told you—it was “Little Jane, the Young Cottager,” and she wished that she might love the Saviour and be happy like “Little Jane.”

When she had nearly finished her porringer, a man came by driving some sheep, which he was going to sell at the next town. Several of the sheep had little lambs with them, and some of these poor little creatures were so tired that they could hardly walk. One little lamb laid down just as it came to the place where Susan was sitting. The man tried to make it get up, but it could not rise, and seemed to be dying. “Well,” said he, “I’ll have your skin at any rate.” So saying, he was about to tie its legs together, and take it upon his shoulder, when Susan spoke to him, and begged very hard that he would leave the little lamb with her, and she would nurse it. “Why, as for that,” said the man, “I suppose I might as well give it you at once, for I don’t reckon you can make much hand of it; and I think I’ll e’en give it to you, for now I recollect, you are the little girl who ran after me over the common last summer, and told me of the boys who had driven two of my best sheep down yonder lane; I should not have found them again in a hurry, if it had not been for you. Well, if you like to have the lamb, take it and much good may it do you.”

He then called his dog, and drove his sheep on. Susan thanked him; she put down her porringer, and took up the lamb, and began to think what she should do with it: its eyes were shut, and it seemed dying. “Well,” said she, “it is no great matter to you, for I suppose they would have killed you to-morrow or next day, but I should have liked you to have lived and played with me. I would have tried to be kind to you, for the Bible says, we are to be merciful to poor dumb creatures like you. God made you, as well as me, and I recollect it is written, ‘that his tender mercies are over all his works.’”

While she was talking in this manner, the lamb opened its eyes a little way, and gave a faint bleat. Susan was delighted. “Poor little thing, perhaps you are hungry,” said she, and taking her spoon, she put a little of the milk into its mouth, and to her great joy saw that it was swallowed. Susan then gave the lamb some more, and wrapped it up closer in her apron. It soon revived with the warmth, and presently was able to stand, it then went to the porringer and drank the rest of Susan’s breakfast; you may be sure she did not grudge it.

Susan now went to her mother, and told all that had happened, and showed her the little lamb. Her mother said she might put it upon the grass-plot behind the cottage. The little girl did so, and before night it was quite well again.

Susan had to go every day to work, but you may be sure she did not neglect her little lamb; every morning when she had her own breakfast, she went and fed it very carefully;—and the lamb was always ready to come as soon as it heard her little mistress call.

Do not you think Susan felt very happy when she looked at the little lamb? She had been kind to it, and felt much more pleased than if she had not taken any care about it. I have known little boys, and girls too, who have taken pleasure in teazing poor animals, but I have always remarked that they were bad children. Those who can take pleasure in killing flies, or hurting dumb creatures, would delight in tormenting their brothers and sisters, or companions, if they dared to do so; and when they grow up to be men and women, unless their evil habits are broken off, they will prove to be wicked people. Our hearts are naturally inclined to do what is evil, and will always take pleasure therein, if they are not changed by divine grace. This is what Jesus told Nicodemus, as you may read in the third chapter of Saint John. Little Susan had been taught this. She felt that it was true, and prayed to God to give her a new heart. She prayed that she might love Christ and believe in him. Christ has said that those who ask shall receive; and in the book of Proverbs, which speaks of him as the True Wisdom, we read that those who seek him early shall find him.

Now, if Susan had not thought about these things, and been led to desire to do what was right, perhaps she would have helped the naughty boys in driving away the sheep, instead of telling them, as she had done, that it was wrong, and following after their owner when she found they would not do what was right. When we see others do wrong, we should always try to persuade them to leave their evil ways; but if they will not listen to us, then we should do all we can to prevent them from succeeding.

The lamb soon grew very fond of Susan, and followed her about every where. If she was absent from home longer than usual, it would lie down before the cottage door, and watch for her, and as soon as she returned, it would frisk about and look quite happy. It was just the same with Susan’s companions, they were always glad to see her, because she was gentle and kind to them.

When I have seen little boys and girls cross, and teazing each other, I have sometimes wondered why they could like to make others uncomfortable, for I have always observed that they did not look happy themselves. But when I recollected that the Bible tells us, that the heart of man is naturally inclined to do evil, I have not wondered any longer at what I have seen. I then thought how very sad it was, that children did not love the Saviour, for then they would have tried to be like him, and would have been much happier. I have longed to tell them about Christ, and how pleasant it is to know him, and to love him. Sometimes when little boys and girls have read “Janeway’s Token for Children,” and other little books which told them about children who have loved Christ, they have desired to be like them. Susan was like these good children; and if a poor man came to ask charity, she was always glad if her mother could spare any thing for him.

Remember, that the Saviour came down from heaven to seek and to save that which is lost; he died upon the cross that we might be cleansed from our sins by his precious blood, and he suffered for us, that we might be sanctified or made holy by the power and influence of his holy Spirit, and thus be made the children of God, and heirs of his kingdom. My dear children, do you love the Saviour? Do you wish to be like him, kind, merciful, patient, and “of great goodness?” Your little hearts will tell you whether you really desire this, and if you are still strangers to him, pray that he will by the power of his holy Spirit, teach you to know him and to love him. If you refuse to listen to these things, and do not seek the Saviour, you will be unhappy in this world, and miserable in that which is to come.

I have a little more to tell you about Susan and her Lamb. Susan’s mother spun its wool every year, and if you had gone to the cottage on a winter evening, you would have seen her busy with her spinning-wheel, while Susan and her brothers were employed in other works, and one of them read aloud the Bible, or some useful book. After the wool was spun, Susan knit stockings for herself and her brothers, which they found very warm and comfortable in the winter. In the course of a few years, the lamb grew up and had several other little lambs, so that in time Susan had a flock of sheep, which were a great help to the family. She was very glad that she had gone to the Sunday school, and had been taught the texts, which made her wish to be kind to the little lamb. I hope my little readers will try to remember all that they read in their Bibles, remembering that the Bible tells us the commands of God, and in keeping his precepts there is great reward.

THE END

THE
AMERICAN
SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION
HAVE PUBLISHED
A Large Assortment of
SUNDAY SCHOOL BOOKS,
AND ALSO,
REWARD BOOKS,
With numerous Engravings, for Children;
WHICH ARE SOLD
AT THE DEPOSITORY,
148 Chesnut Street,
Philadelphia,
AT REDUCED PRICES.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE SUSAN AND HER LAMB ***

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that:

- • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”

- • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.

- • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.

- • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.

Table of Contents

- LITTLE SUSAN AND HER LAMB.

- THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE