Moral Tales for Children From McGuffey’s Readers: Holding the Fort

A combination image compiled and designed by The Epoch Times using images in the Public Domain.

This is the 16th installment in our McGuffey Readers series, in which we reproduce some of the best moral tales from these classic 1800s schoolbooks, which sold an estimated 122 million copies by 1960, the largest circulation of any book in the world next to the Bible and Webster’s Dictionary. McGuffey’s Readers played an important role in American history, offering children not only lessons in reading, grammar, and spelling, but also in moral conduct and character. Enjoy, and share with your children!

Holding the Fort

While Genie was walking slowly down the street one day, she heard an odd rapping on the pavement behind her. Looking round, she saw Rob Grey hobbling on crutches.

“Why, what is the matter?” cried Genie. “I haven’t seen you for a week, and now you are walking in that way.”

“I shall have to walk in this way as much as a week longer, Genie. I sprained my ankle by stopping too quick—no, not too quick, either, for there was something in my way.”

“What was it?” asked Genie.

“One of the Commandments,” replied Rob. “You remember how that lecturer talked to us about ‘holding the fort’? Well, I thought I should like to do it; but it’s a pretty long war, you know—all a lifetime, and no vacations—furloughs, I think they call them.”

“If there was nothing to fight, we should not need to be soldiers,” said Genie.

Illustration of "Holding the Fort" from "McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition," 1879. Public Domain

“Well, I thought I would try; but the first day, when we came out of the schoolhouse, Jack Lee snatched my books out of my hand, and threw them into the mud.

“I started after him as fast as I could run. I meant to throw him where he had thrown the books, when, all of a sudden, I thought of the Commandment about returning good for evil.

“I stopped short—so short, that, somehow, my foot twisted under me. So, you see, it was one of the Commandments.”

“If one must stumble at them, it is a good thing to fall on the right side,” said Genie, with a wise nod of her head.

“The whole thing puzzles me, and makes me feel—well, like giving it up,” said Rob. “It might have served me right when I was chasing Jack; but when I thought of the Commandment, I really tried to do the right thing.”

“You did do it, Rob,” said Genie. “You ‘held the fort’ that time. Why, don’t you see—you are only a wounded soldier.”

“I never thought of that,” said Rob. “If I believe that way—” He began to whistle, and limped off to school without finishing the sentence. But Genie knew, by the way he behaved that day, that he had made up his mind to hold the fort.

This story is reproduced from McGuffey’s Third Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition, published in 1879.

The McGuffey Readers, first published in the 1830s, were a series of illustrated readers for elementary schoolchildren written by U.S. educator and clergyman William Holmes McGuffey (1800–1873). They were widely used as textbooks in U.S. schools from the mid-1800s up until the early 20th century. They are still used by some schools today, especially homeschools focused on nurturing and raising children with a classical education and moral character development.