The Lost Ruby and The Lost Child (Christoph von Schmid)

The Lost Ruby 

And, The Lost Child

The Lost Ruby is a classic story designed to teach children that honesty is worth pursuing, regardless of the cost. This book also contains one of Von Schmid’s finest short stories, The Lost Child, which shows the mystery of how God trains us with hardships and uses them to bless us.

This is the story of young Lieutenant Wildberg and the heavy price he paid for succumbing to the worldly temptations. Though at first his “indiscretion” appeared to accomplish a noble good, it brought grief and harm to those he loved. He learned that “even the most trivial lie is an evil seed.”

The second story in this volume is as powerful as The Lost Ruby.

Originally written in 1841.

Reader Reviews

“I found it was full of very strong values for young readers written in an engaging way to get them across. Well worth having in a child’s library.” — Marilyn Perkins of Deer Park, Wisconsin

“I read this book out loud to my granddaughter. We both loved it and eagerly awaited each nights reading.” — Tammy Trapp of Magnolia, Texas

“An adventure into the folly of a youthful moment. May those who are prone to ‘feeling’ the right way learn from this tale of folly, to ‘think’ the right way.” — Heidi of Queensland, Australia

Table of Contents

The Lost Ruby

1. The Hidden Chest
2. The Ranger’s Daughter
3. A Discovery
4. The Captivity
5. Victory

The Lost Child

1. The Fisherman’s Son
2. What Became of the Child
3. The Re-Union

About the Author

Christoph von Schmid (1768-1854) has written stories translated into twenty-four languages. He is regarded as the greatest educator Bavaria (Germany) produced in the 18th century.

When he began writing stories for the children in his own life in the late 1700s, he did not consider making them available to the general public. In 1841, he published his writings in twenty-four volumes. Von Schmid’s introduction to his set explains that he most often read these stories to children after school as a reward, on the condition that they would write the story down at home. In this way, he became familiar with the patterns of thought and speech of children, and learned what impressed their minds and hearts.