The digital copies of this book are available for free at First Fruits website.
place.asburyseminary.edu/firstfruits
Preface
THIS book of recitations for Junior societies is, in one point at least, different from all books of recitations with which I am acquainted. I refer to the directions for speaking prefixed to each piece. Much thought has been spent upon this unique feature, and I trust that these directions will be found to be not only workable and varied, but helpful in interpreting the spirit of the recitations to the speakers them- selves, and to the children that listen.
It will be seen that the selections cover with fulness all the various holidays, anniversaries, and special occasions such as New Years, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, the harvest season, Children’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and so on, and that at the same time a large number of recitations and exercises are suitable for use at any time. The great importance of those topics has led me to pay special attention to temperance and missionary recitations and exercises.
The book contains quite a number of original exercises never published before. For permission to use the work of others I am grateful to the authors and to their publishers. I have obtained this permission whenever I could learn the address of author or publisher, and have given full credit in connection with the piece; but many of these poems were found floating about through periodical literature, and had long ago lost all trace of their parentage. In some of these I have ventured to make slight corrections, feeling sure that they were not as originally written.
Many poems are equally suitable for various occasions, and I have added at the close of the volume a full cross index, which will assist in the use of the book.
It remains to say that if this collection finds favor, it will be followed in time by others made upon the same plan.
AMOS R. WELLS.
Boston, Mass., July, I899.
