Page images
PDF
EPUB

meet your little girl in heaven, won't you?"

66

I will, by God's help," said the man. "God bless you, little darling. Now go into the house; it's too cold for you out here. Good-bye."

Then he went away with his little coffin; and he felt as much comforted as if an angel

from heaven had really been sent to speak kind words to him. He went to chapel next Sunday. He heard the minister talk about Jesus, and pray for those in sorrow. After that he went regularly to chapel. He became a Christian, and, after many years, he died a happy death, and went to meet his little girl in heaven.

BOTH SIDES.

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

She looked on the carriage-the lady she

saw,

Arrayed in apparel so fine,

And said in a whisper, "I wish from my heart

Those satins and laces were mine."

The lady looked out on the maid with her work,

So fair in her calico dress, And said, "I'd relinquish possessions and wealth

Her beauty and youth to possess." Thus in this world, whatever our lot,

Our minds and our time we employ In longing and sighing for what we have not, Ungrateful for what we enjoy.

We welcome the pleasures for which we have sighed,

The heart has a void in it still, Growing deeper and wider the longer we live, That nothing but heaven can fill.

HE SUNG SO!"

place where the urchin sat, and maintained his position, apparently unconscious of the close proximity to one whom birds usually consider a dangerous neighbour. The boy seemed astonished at his boldness, and after regarding him steadily for a minute or two, obeying the instinct of his baser part,

he picked up a stone lying at his feet, and was preparing to throw it, steadying himself carefully for a good aim. The little arm was reached backward without alarming the bird, and the little bird was within an ace of damage, when lo! his throat swelled, and forth came nature's song. Slowly the little arm subsided to its natural position, and the despised stone dropped. The minstrel charmed the murderer! We heard the songster through, and watched his unharmed flight, as did the boy, with a sorrowful countenance. Anxious to hear an expression of the little fellow's feelings, we ap

proached him and inquired, "Why didn't you stone him, my boy? You might have killed him and carried him home." The little fellow looked up doubtingly, as though he suspected our meaning, and with an expression of half-shame and half-sorrow, he replied "Couldn't! cos he sung so!" Melody wakened humanity, and humanity mercy! The bird was saved. Dear little boys! don't stone the birds. An illustration this, too, in its way, of the power of gentleness, which is often a better defence to the weak than strength is to the strong. -Old Jonathan,

SERMONS TO CHILDREN.

BY WILLIAM L. ROBERTS, OF GLOSSOP.

[blocks in formation]

Perhaps in our country we do not understand the value of precious ointments spoken of in the Bible. We know what lavender water is, and Eau-de-Cologne, and musk, and so on, but these are trifles. Some people use these very extravagantly in England, and they are so scented up that we are apt to fancy they live in a rose-garden. But in hot countries, where the people are almost constantly in a sweat, they are obliged, for comfort's sake, to make frequent use of the bath; and those who can afford it wash

themselves in scented waters, and pour the rich ointments obtained from flowers and roots over their heads and various parts of their bodies. Some of these are very delicious in their smell, and cost a deal of money. I dare say you remember the case in which a woman brought a small box of this precious ointment and poured it over the feet of Jesus, when some of the disciples murmured at the waste, and said it might have been sold for three hundred pence, that is about ten pounds of our money. These precious ointments were used on various occasions, such as the arrival of visitors, the consecration of priests, and so

on.

The people prized them highly, and sometimes stored them up.

So far as riches are concerned, I suppose we all think we know the value of them. What a grand thing it is to be rich! What splendid clothes rich people can wear! What beautiful horses and carriages they have! What grand houses they live in! and what splendid dinners they eat! It must be grand to be rich. Aha! my young friends, not so fast. There are some rich people who are very sick and poorly, there

are others who have sad troubles. Their riches cannot secure them health nor give them peace of mind, and above all, riches cannot purchase the favour of God. God does not measure a man by the clothes he wears, nor by the lavender-water he sprinkles on himself; God values a man according to his character.

Solomon, who knew the worth of all these things, says that a good name is better than either riches or ointment.

It is better to have a good name, for a good name is the sign that other people think well of us. Our name means what people

say

about us; and people generally say what they think. Now there are some silly people that will think and speak well of people just because they are rich, or are well dressed; but they are silly people, indeed, who make that their only sign of respectability. There is many a black villain that dresses well; there is many a poorly-clad man or woman whose name is worthy of being written in letters of gold; and I had rather have a good name, that is, be well thought of and well spoken of, than have all the land of Europe, or all the gold in the Bank of England, or all the perfumes of India.

It is better to have a good name when we can think well of ourselves. It may be we sometimes get a better name or a worse than we deserve, but I don't think that is the case generally. But I do sometimes wonder how

JOHN AND THE

OHN was a boy who "lived out." Every week he wrote home to his mother, who lived on a small rocky farm among the hills. One day John picked up an old envelope from the kitchen wooden box, and saw that the postage stamp on it was not touched by the postmaster's stamp, to show that it had done its duty, and was henceforth useless. "The postmaster missed his aim then,"

the rich bad people can hold up their heads before respectable people; they must loathe themselves sometimes; and if a man does not respect himself, why, then, there can be no true happiness for him.

But the great question is, How to get a good name? Plenty of people ask how they can get rich, but I want my young friends to ask how they can get a good name. I believe it can be got if we try for it. People sometimes try to get rich, and do not succeed; they are born poor, and they die poor. It is well for some people that it is so. Riches are sometimes a great curse. Well, how are we to get a good name? Not by doing naughty tricks, and pretending we did not do them. What very innocent-looking countenances some young people can put on after doing a mischievous trick! You will be found out sooner or later, and will get a bad

name.

The best way to get a good name is to be good, to be sure. To feel good towards your companions and all around you; to feel good towards God; to feel honest, to feel true, to feel kind, is the best way to be honest, to be true, to be kind, and to secure a good name. A good name can be got when riches cannot; it can be kept when riches melt away; it will render us far more happy and blessed than riches will; and it will be of greater service to those who come after us. Remember, the best thing is a Good Name.

[blocks in formation]

prove it worthless. The post-office will not know."

"But you know," said conscience, "and

that is enough. It is not honest to use it a second time. It is a little matter, to be sure; but it is cheating. God looks for principle. It is the quality of every action which He judges by."

"But no one will know it," said John faintly.

THE HE

GOOD

"No one!" cried conscience. "God will know it; that is enough; and He, you know, desires truth in the inward parts."

"Yes," cried all the best parts of John's character, "yes; it is cheating to use the postage stamp the second time, and I will not do it."

John tore it in two and gave it to the winds.

The boy won a glorious victory.

OOD AND THE BAD APPLES.

NE day Robert's father saw him playing with some boys who were rude and unmannerly. He had observed for some time a change for the worse in his son, and now he knew the cause. He was very sorry, but he said nothing to Robert at the time. In the evening he brought from the garden six beautiful rosy-cheeked apples, put them on a plate, and presented them to Robert. He was much pleased at his father's kindners, and thanked him. "You must lay them aside for a few days, that they may become mellow," said the father. Robert cheerfully placed the plate with the apples in his mother's storeroom.

And

Just as he was putting them aside, his father laid on the plate a seventh apple, which was quite rotten, and desired him to allow it to remain there.

"But, father," said Robert, "the rotten apple will spoil all the others."

"Do you think so? Why should not the

fresh apples rather make the rotten one fresh?" said his father. And with these words he shut the door of the room.

Eight days afterwards he asked his son to open the door and take out the apples. But what a sight presented itself! The six apples which had been so round and rosycheeked were now quite rotten, and spread a bad smell through the room.

"Oh, papa!" cried he, "did I not tell you that the rotten apple would spoil the good ones? yet you did not listen to me."

[ocr errors]

My boy," said his father, "have I not told you often that the company of bad children will make you bad? yet you do not listen to me. See in the condition of the apples that which will happen to you if you keep company with wicked boys!"

Robert did not forget the lesson. When any of his former playfellows asked him to join in their sports, he thought of the rotten apples, and kept himself apart from them.

UZZLES.

'HE answer to the first puzzle in the November number is the following: "Widow A. and Widow B. had each a son. Widow A. married Widow B.'s son, and Widow B. married Widow A.'s son. Each married couple had a daughter, and they were all buried in the same grave." The question

admits of other answers, and one or two of our correspondents sent other solutions.

The answer to the second puzzle in the November number is, " 31, 13, 16."

The following answered both correctly: M. A. Ormerod, H. J. Gibbs, W. Lord, Mary Lord, John Lord, H. Ll. Snape.

The following answered one correctly: Mary Hoyle, C. J. Townend, G. Hepper, R. Wyld, W. E. Beckett, A. Soothill, F. Hedley, M. Luckley, A. Pickering, W. H. Whitworth, T. E. Wakefield, J. Wilson, J. Greenwood, J. W. Curra, J. W. Stephens, G. H. Andrews, A. Thackray, F. E. Chester, W. Crozier, J. Brown, R. Fletcher, C. Taylor, A. Townend, T. Smith, M. E. Butterworth, W. Hardman, A. H. Low, C. A. Holt, C. E. Bridgwater, T. Quick, R. Moore, T. K. Wolstenholme.

The answer to the first puzzle in the December number is as follows: "It is certain that there are more trees in Scotland than there are leaves upon any one tree; it therefore necessarily follows that there must, at least, be two trees having precisely the same number of leaves."

The answer to the second puzzle in the December number is, "3 hours."

The following have answered both correctly R. J. Wakefield, T. E. Wakefield, A. H. Low, C. Taylor, F. E. Chester, M. A. Ormerod, J. Lord, Mary Lord, W. Lord, T. Smith.

The following answered one correctly: J. Greenwood, R. Moore, W. Crozier, W. H. Whitworth, A. Thackray, T. K. Wolstenholme, C. A. Holt, H. Ll. Snape, H. J. Gibbs, W. Bennett, E. Henderson, J. Brown, R. Fletcher, M. E. Butterworth, C. E. Bridgwater.

The answers to the January puzzles will be given in our next.

We daresay that many of our readers are anxious to know who have won the prizes for the answers to last year's puzzles. Sometimes answers are sent to us after we have gone to press, but before the succeeding number containing the answer is published.

In all such cases we enter the name in our private book, and in reckoning the number we have added these. Last year two of the three prizes were won by girls living at Bury. This year there are two girls and two boys, all living at Bury, who have answered the most questions; but the girls are not the same as those who gained the prize last year. Their names are M. A. Ormerod, Mary Lord, John Lord, and William Lord. As these are equal, we must divide the fifteen shillings equally between them; or, if they prefer it, we can send them each a five-shilling book.

Closely following these are H. LI. Snape, F. E. Chester, A. H. Low, T. E. Wakefield, R. J. Wakefield, T. Smith, W. Crozier, R. Fletcher, and A. Soothill.

I.-A waggoner passing a store was asked what he had in his waggon. He replied: Three-fourths of a cross and a circle complete;

An upright where two semi-circles meet;
An isosciles triangle standing on feet;
Two semi-circles and a circle complete.
Query. What was in the waggon?

II. A cistern has two pipes, by one of which it may be filled in forty minutes, and by the other in fifty minutes; it has also a discharging pipe, by which it may be emptied in twenty-five minutes. If the three were open together, in what time would the cistern be filled?

Letters for the Editor to be addressedMr. M. MILLER,

4, Barnsbury-square,

London, N.

London: T. NEWTON, Methodist Free Church Book-room, 119, Salisbury-square, Fleetstreet, E.C.

UNWIN BROTHERS, PRINTERS, LONDON AND CHILWORTH.

« PreviousContinue »