Floyd's Flowers Or Duty and Beauty For Colored Children

Truly the boys and girls of to-day ought to be thankful that they are alive. There never was such a golden age for childhood and youth as the present. To say nothing of the rich opportunities for mental and spiritual development, what a multitude of things have been provided for the innocent pleasure, the wholesome recreation of the young people of to-day; inventions that remind one of the magic of the “Arabian Nights”; tools of sport so perfect that one cannot imagine how they could be bettered; fascinating games, all unknown in the days gone by; books and papers upon which science, art and literary skill have lavished modern resources—all these and many other wonderful things have fallen to the lot of the favored boys and girls of to-day.

And now enterprising publishers of our grand country are going to put the boys and girls of America—and especially the colored boys and girls of America—under obligation to them, because they have decided to add to the list of good books for children and youths already on the market. I use the word “good” advisedly; for from the day that I was engaged to write this book I have had in mind constantly the thought of making it such a book as would tell for good. It is an old saying that “evil communications corrupt good manners,” but evil reading does more than this: for evil reading corrupts good morals.

I have endeavored to put into this book of stories for children only such things as might be freely admitted into the best homes of the land, and I have written with the hope that many young minds may be elevated by means of these stories and many hearts filled with high and holy aspirations. Our nation has a right to expect that our boys and girls shall turn out to be good men and good women, and this book is meant to help in this process.

By : Silas X. Floyd (1869 - 1923)

000 - Publisher's Note and Preface 001 - A Spelling Lesson 002 - The Truth About Luck 003 - An Evening at Home 004 - The Making of a Man 005 - False Pride 006 - Thanksgiving at Piney Grove 007 - The Loud Girl 008 - The Rowdy Boy 009 - Honesty 010 - Uncle Ned and the Insurance Solicitor 011 - The Strenuous Life 012 - A Humbug 013 - A Candidate for Baptism 014 - Going with the Crowd 015 - Mary and Her Dolls 016 - Jaky Tolberts Playmates 017 - A Valentine Party 018 - No Money Down 019 - Tommys Baby Brother 020 - Keeping School 021 - The School of the Street 022 - The Fox Hunt 023 - A Bold Venture 024 - A Hero in Black 025 - The Road to Success 026 - Samuel C Armstrong 027 - How to be Handsome 028 - Patience 029 - The Bitter Bit 030 - The Alphabet of Success 031 - Easter Monday in Washington 032 - Keeping Ones Engagements 033 - A Midnight Mishap 034 - Frederick Douglass 035 - Our Dumb Animals 036 - A Plucky Boy 037 - A Heart to Heart Talk 038 - A Ghost Story 039 - Good Cheer 040 - Life A Battle 041 - Ruled by Primative Methods 042 - Hunting an Easy Place 043 - Burt Bankstons Bequest 044 - The Big Black Burglar 045 - Pin Money Made with the Needle 046 - Self Help 047 - Henry Ward Beechers Testimony 048 - Rounding Up a Chicken Thief 049 - Shields Green the Martyr 050 - Aiming at Something 051 - The Black Sheep of the Reynolds Family 052 - The Holy Bible 053 - Andrew Carnegies Advice to Young Men 054 - Directions for the Little Gentlemen 055 - The Letter of the Law 056 - The Best Books for Children 057 - The Right to Play 058 - A Christmas Present 059 - Drinking and Smoking 060 - The Nickel That Burned Franks Pocket 061 - Monument to a Black Man 062 - The Bad Boy---Who He Is 063 - The Bad Boy---How to Help Him 064 - Thomas Greene Bethune (''Blind Tom'') 065 - Not Fit to Know 066 - The Right Way 067 - Keeping Friendship in Repair 068 - Little Annie's Christmas 069 - The Velocipede Race 070 - Fault Finding 071 - The Puritans Sabbath 072 - The Devil on an Excursion 073 - Random Remarks 074 - Benjamin Banneker The Negro Astronomer 075 - A Little Child Shall Lead Them 076 - Directions for Little Ladies 077 - Three Words to Young People 078 - A Lamp Unto My Feet 079 - The Three Brigades 080 - Home Sweet Home 081 - Edmund Asa Ware 082 - An Ante Bellum Negro Preacher 083 - Purity of Character 084 - Each One of Us of Importance 085 - The Poetry of Life 086 - On Being in Earnest 087 - Young People and Life Insurance 088 - A Little Sailor Cat 089 - Advice to Little Christians 090 - A Word to Parents 091 - A Helpful Message 092 - The Unseen Charmer 093 - Our Country 094 - The Dont Care Girl 095 - Negro Heroes 096 - Frederick Douglass to Young People 097 - Too High a Dam 098 - A Good Fellow 099 - The Future of the Negro 100 - The Training of Children