# Suggestive programs for special day exercises

Suggestive Special Day Programs
LINCOLN DAY
    WASHINGTON and LOWELL DAY
       LONGFELLOW DAY
          ARBOR DAY
             MEMORIAL DAY
                OUR NATION’S BIRTHDAY
                   LABOR DAY
                         THANKSGIVING DAY
                            CHRISTMAS
PUBLISHED BY JASON E. HAMMOND, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
LANSING, MICHIGAN
ROBERT SMITH PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS AND BINDERS
1898
SUGGESTIVE PROGRAMS
FOR
SPECIAL DAY EXERCISES
PUBLISHED BY
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
FOR DISTRICT SCHOOLS
JASON E. HAMMOND
STATE SUPERINTENDENT
LANSING, MICHIGAN
1898
LANSING
ROBERT SMITH PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS AND BINDERS
1898
INTRODUCTION.
Department of Public Instruction,
Lansing, Mich., Feb. 1, 1898.
To the Teachers and Friends of Education:
In preparing and sending out these suggestive programs for Special Day exercises, it is our desire to bring the Department of Education closer to the people, to bring the patrons and teachers closer together in the work of the schools.
Just as, in the palmy days of Rome, broad highways connected the Forum with the capital of every province, so we believe there should be a highway leading directly from this Department to every school house in Michigan.
If we as a people could more often come together for the discussion of the common problems of life, if there could be more opportunity for an interchange of sympathy and good-will, our schools and homes would be the better. The struggle to reach the position of independence we now enjoy is not fully appreciated by this generation, and there still remains the problem of our country’s future destiny which must be worked out in the homes and schools of the nation.
In times past the home and school have been too widely separated, instead of working together as mutually dependent parts of an educational family. It is hoped that the celebration of these special days may result in a better appreciation of the teacher’s work on the part of the patrons, and also afford an opportunity for broader culture. What a splendid chance for the teaching of patriotism is found in the observance of Independence Day and Memorial Day; what beautiful examples of character Lincoln and Washington afford; what a field for literary study is found in the works of Longfellow and Lowell; what an appreciation of the bountiful land in; which we dwell may be inculcated through the Thanksgiving exercises; and last, comes the crowning festival of the year, commemorating the greatest gift of the world, the coming of “ peace on earth, good-will to men.” How the glad Christmas time appeals to us all to remember that only through self-sacrifice has life been made what it is today.
These special days should be made beacon lights in the homes and schools of the State.
Yours with good wishes for the New Year,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 3
Lincoln Day:—  Program 4  Flag Salute 4  God Bless Our Native Land 4  Memorable Language of Abraham Lincoln 5
 Anecdotes of Lincoln 6
 Glimpses of Lincoln's Character 7
 Lincoln’s Boyhood 8
 Oh! Why should the Spirit of Mortal be Proud? 9
 God Speed the Right 10
 The Gettysburg Address 11
 Education a Growth 11
 Justice tempered with Mercy 11
 Lincoln—A Song 12
 Conclusion of Lincoln’s First Inaugural 12
 Your Mission 13
 Characteristics of Lincoln 14
WASHINGTON AND LOWELL DAY:—
 George Washington: Statesman, Christian Gentleman 15
 Ode for Washington’s Birthday 16
 Washington: The Brightest Name on History's Page 17
 The Glorious Roll of the American Drum 17
 Let Washington Sleep 18
 Epitaph on Washington 18
 Mt. Vernon Bells 19
 The First Snow-Fall 19
 The Heritage 20
 A Wider and Wiser Humanity 20
 To the Dandelion 21
 Washington’s Birthday 22
 The fountain 22
 The Washington Elm 23
​ Longfellow Day:—  Program 24  The Poet and His Songs 24  Subjects for Essay 24  The Children’s Hour 25  The Two Angels 25  The Old Clock on The Stairs 26  The Builders 27  Paul Revere’s Ride 28  From My Arm-Chair 29  The Bridge 30  Quotations 30-32  Nature’s Book 32  Charity 32  The Three Statues of Minerva 32
Arbor Day:—  Program 33  Arbor Day Scripture Reading 33  Arbor Day March 34  The History of Arbor Day 34  Which Tree is Best? 35  What do we plant? 36  We Love the Trees 36  Historic Trees 37-38  Our Mother’s Three 39  What will you be? 39  Arbor Day Song 40  A Wonderful Tree 40  The Tree Planter 40  Planting of the Apple Tree 41  The Poet of Trees 42  Extract from Bryant’s Forest Hymn 42  Forest Trees 43  Prayer for Our State 43  The Grand Old Trees 43  What shall It be? 44  What We owe Trees 44-45  A Few Suggestions 45  The Planting Song 45
Memorial Day:—  Program 46  Tribute to Old Glory. 46  We keep Memorial Day 46  With Tenderness in Our Hearts 47  Scatter the Flowers 47 ​ The Banner of the Union 48  The Soldiers kept in Remembrance 48  What can Children do? 49  A Flag Exercise 49  Memorial Day 50  Emblems of Decoration Day 50  All Hail, Old Glory! 50-51  Long wave Our Flag! 51  Meaning of the Colors 52  How They came back from the War 52-53  Our Loyal Women 53  Mustered Out 54  Cover Them Over 54-56  Patriotic Training in Our Schools 56  Evolution of The Flag 57
Our Nation’s Birthday:—  Program 58  The Flag of Seventy-six 58-59  Bunker Hill 59  The Poets’ Praise of Freedom 60  Grandfather’s Fourth 61  Independence Bell 62  The Revolutionary Rising 63-64  Warren’s Address 64  America 65  How “America” came to be written 66  The Star Spangled Banner 66  Centennial Hymn 67
Labor Day:—  Program 68  Free Labor 68  The Working Man’s Song 68  The Scissors 69  True Nobility 69  Two Little Hands 70  Ho! Bonny Boy 70  The Moral Dignity of Labor 70-71  Tribute to Genius and Labor 71  Working and Shirking 72  Work and Reward 72  Sermon—The Toilers 73  Toil’s Grandeur 74  Act making Labor Day A Legal Holiday 74  The Village Blacksmith 75  Labor 76
​ Thanksgiving Day:—  Program 77  The Nut Party 77  We Thank Thee 78  Thanksgiving Exercise for Little Ones 78-79  Thanksgiving Hymn 80  The Pumpkin 81  Thanksgiving 82  The Day We Love 83  Pen Picture of the First Thanks-giving 83
Christmas:—  Program 84  Santa Claus Myths 84  Myths of the Mistletoe 85  Christmas Fairies 86-87  A Christmas Gift 88  A Christmas Exercise 89-93  Christmas Day 94  A Christmas Problem 94  Some Christmas Customs 95
Flag Raising Days 96
School Room Decoration 97
The Dainty State Flower 98
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse