Mr. Sanderson was explaining, “In about eight weeks, the caterpillar is perhaps three inches long. He stops eating, and crawls away from the other caterpillars^ He is looking for a comfortable place in which to spin his silk cocoon. He is very particular about his choice, and may take as long as three days to find the right location. Just as soon as he is settled, he commences to work. "As he spins, a liquid comes through his mouth in a tiny silk thread. First, the caterpillar must make the network to hold his cocoon in place so it will not roll away. Then he begins to really labor. Around and around himself he spins until there is no more silk thread left in his body, and his cocoon is finished. It is very strong, and nothing can get inside to harm the life there. "Soon something very wonderful happens. Little by little, the cater pillar’s body changes into a moth right inside the cocoon. "Then when the moth is ready to come out of the cocoon, he spits a clear liquid onto one end of the cocoon. This softens the cocoon, and soon the moth is able to push his way out with his head and feet, leaving the cocoon empty. Presently, his wings unfold. How different he is now from the plain gray silkworm he once was!” Then Mr. Sanderson said some thing very important "This story of the silkworm has reminded us in many ways of ourselves and our Christian lives, but, best of all, it has made us think of the Lord Jesus’ resurrection from the grave. As the silkworm came out of the cocoon a changed creature, so will all Chris tians rise from their graves, with new bodies. Today we celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the dead. He said that because He lived again, we His followers when we die should not remain in our graves forever either, but, like our Saviour, we should live again, changed into per fect people.” “I never knew much about silk worms before," Bill whispered to John, “but I’ll never forget what I learned today.” “I wonder what it will be like to be changed,” said John thoughtfully. How to Join «he K. Y. B. Club To bocomt a mombar of tho Know Your Blblo Club, read through the Goipal ac cording to John, using either your own Bible, or a Gospel of John which will be sent upon request. When the Goapel has been read and a statem ent to this effect, signed by parent or Sunday school teacher, has been sent to the Editor of the Junior King's Business, a K. Y. B. C. pin will be mailed. Sunday school classes or clubs de siring to order ten or more Gospels or pins may wish to share the cost of these sup plies, as the Lord directs: Gospels, post paid five cents each—In quantity, three cents; pins, w ithout postage, two cents each. However, no one Is to do w ithout a Gospel or pin because of lack of money. Address: Junior King's Business, 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 13, Calif. T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
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I T WAS Easter Sunday, and Bill and John were on their way to Sunday school. The leaves on the trees were beginning to look fresh and green, and the birds were singing cheerily. The boys were happy, too. John was carrying a curious look* ing box very carefully, and when Bill asked him what was in it, John raised the lid, and let Bill peek in side. “What funny looking butterflies!" exclaimed Bill. "Those aren’t butterflies; they are moths,” answered John. "Where did you get them?” Bill was interested. "Remember that missionary from China who spoke at our church a while ago?” Bill thought he remem bered her, and John continued. "She gave me the eggs, and asked me to raise the caterpillars, and to give the moths to Mr. Sanderson, the Sunday school superintendent, on Easter Sunday.” "Why on Easter Sunday?" "I don’t know, I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out.” Soon the boys arrived at the church. Mr. Sanderson was glad to see that John had kept his promise to bring the moths. During the open ing exercises of Sunday school, all the boys and girls were curious about the box Mr. Sanderson had put on the table. Soon he was ready to tell about its strange contents. He held the box up so that all could see the moths. Then he began: “Our Lord Jesus was the Creator of the world and all that is in it. All of His creatures are wonderful, but among the strangest and most interesting is the silkworm. First of all, it comes from a small egg, no larger than a pinhead.” John thought of the many eggs stuck on one sheet of paper which the missionary had given him, and how closely he had watched to see that each one was kept safe. "When the egg hatches, something tiny and black wriggles out It is a baby silkworm, really a caterpillar,” Mr. Sanderson continued. “In about a week this little caterpillar is half an inch long and has become gray in color.” "What does he eat?” asked a tall boy in the back of the room. “I was Just coming to that,” an swered Mr. Sanderson. “This little caterpillar is very particular about his food. He will eat just one thing. What is it, John?” Page Twenty-two
"Mulberry leaves.” John was re membering what a hard time he had had to find those leaves. “You are right, ‘John. And that is something like the Christian. He has one kind of spiritual food, God’s Word. Without that he cannot grow to be a strong Christian. “Pretty soon something has to hap pen to this silkworm, or he will be unable to grow any more. He has to have a new skin. His old hard skin slides back over his body and drops off. There right where the old skin had been, is a brand new one, soft, and full of folds so that the cater pillar will have plenty of room to grow. Now he can go right on grow ing larger and longer; but while he is growing, he has to shed his skin four times. This reminds us that we Christians have to discard from our lives the things with which the Lord
Jesus is displeased, and add to our lives the things He wants to be there, if we are to be successful followers of Him.” Many of the boys and girls were very thoughtful. They needed to get rid of some of their sins, and in place of them, they needed to de velop habits with which the Lord Jesus would be pleased. Then Mr. Sanderson told them that the caterpillar had to be kept in a clean place where the air was pure. Two of the poisons he must not be allowed to breathe, Mr. Sanderson said, were gas fumes and tobacco smoke. Bill nudged John. "I guess the Christian needs to be in a clean place with clean company, too. Some of the Jokes I've heard lately around school haven’t been what you’d call clean,” he whispered.
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