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Children's Sermon
Be Merciful.
By Rev. Stuart Nye Hutchison, D. D.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall ob
tain mercy. Matthew 5:7.
Long ago there was a slave named Androclus.
This slave had a cruel master, and one day
he ran away and hid in a cave. "While he was
in the cave a lion coine toward him. Androclus
was about to run away when he saw that the
lion was in great distress. He was limping
and holding up one of his paws. Androclus
took hold of the paw and saw that there was
a thorn in it and the lion could not get it out.
Ho cut out the thorn and put some ointment
on the sore paw. After fhis the lion ran away
to the desert and the slave forgot about him.
Years after this Androclus was a slave in
Rome. He had another cruel master. In those
days wicked men sent their poor slaves to fight
with the lions in the arena, to furnish sport
for the people. Androclus had been condemned
-by his master to fight a great lion. He knew
that the lion would kill him no matter how
hard he fought, so he said good-Aye to all his
friends and resolved to die as bravely as he
could. f *1
They put him in the arena, a door was
opened and out sprang a great African lion.
He came with great leaps toward Androclus.
All at once he stopped and began to lick the
slave's hands and show his friendliness and
love. Instead of hurting him the lion played
with him like a friendly dog.
The emperor was there watching the sports
that day. He had never seen anything like
that before. He sent for Androclus, and when
he heard the story of the thoi*n, and the kind
ness of the slave which the lion had never
forgotten, he gave orders to set both the slave
and the lion free.
I Androclus was kind and merciful to the lion
and the lion was merciful and kind to him.
Those who are kind to others will have kind
ness shown to them.
?
One way to be merciful is to be always kind
THREE BROTHERS.
Dear Presbyterian : I am a little boy seven
years old. I'm in the third grade. I
have three brothers. I try to be as
good as I can be, and try to obey my moth
er. My brothers are very sweet. I go to Miss
Carrie Patterson. I have learned the Lord's
Prayer. '
Your friend,
"Wilford M. Jones.
Ellerson, Va.
Dear "Willford: I "am glad that you have
learned this prayer. It is a pitty that we
couldn't print the picture of the school which
- you drew for us. H. A.
RECITED CATECHISM.
Dear Presbyterian : I am a little girl seven y
years old. I go to school at Collierstown. I
am in the second grade. My teacher's name
is Miss Mary Tribbett. I like her very much.
i, I recited my catechism to Mrs. Parker. She
f is our pastor's wife* We love them very much.
to the dumb animals. Boys arc erucl often
times because they are thoughtless. They do
not think how much it hurts or they would
not do it. And they do not think how useful
are the little animals and insects that they
hurt and kill.
One day I saw some little boys killing a hop
toad. There is no other animal that is so valu
able to a farmer as the little ugly hop-toad.
It kills thousands and thousands of insects that
destroy the plants.
It is said that the great Duke of Wellington
once found a very little friend of his crying
in the garden. lie stopped and asked him what
was the matter. The little boy said that they
were going to move the next day and there
would be no one to take care of his pet toad.
The Duke said, "Don't cry any more. I will
look after him myself." So not long after the
little boy received a letter, saying: "The
Duke of Wellington is pleased to inform his
friend William Harris that his toad is alive
and well."
But we ought to be merciful to people as
well as to animals. Let me tell you one way
to be merciful to others. When you hear some
thing unkind and hateful about someone else,
what do you do? T know what some of yon do.
You run quickly and tell someone else and
that person tells someone, and so it goes till
most everyone knows about it. And maybe
it wasn't true in the first place. The best thing,
the merciful thing to do, when you hear some
thing bad about someone else, is to keep it to
yourself and never tell anyone.
We all have done many things that we ought
not to do. And we want God to forgive us
when we die. He has said that He will be
merciful to us if we are merciful to others.
So always remember when you are tempted
to be cruel to others, that some day you will
want God to be merciful to you.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall ob
tain mercy."
Norfolk, Va.
They have four children. Their names are
Kenton, William, Stella and Charles.
Your friend,
Kate Lackey.
Lexington, Va., R. 2.
Dear Kate: Write me which catechism you
have recited, so I can send you a certificate.
H. A.
A FINE CHRISTMAS
Dear Presbyterian : I am a little boy nearly
9 years old. I have one sister and two broth
ers. I had a happy Christmas. I have a pet
cat named Blacknose. She is a good mouser.
Santa brought me a tool-chest and a set of
wood-builders. He also brought me a game.
My Aunt Louise gave me a pretty red neck-tie.
I got a company of soldiers. I am going to
close now. Good-bye.
S Your friend,
Robert T. Morrison, ,Tr.
Luray, Va.
Dear Robert: I am so glad that you had
such a splendid Christmas. Won't you write
us another letter and tell the boys and girls
about that wonderful cave near your home?
H. A.
LOVES TO READ THE STORIES.
Dear Presbyterian: I am a little girl ten
years old. I am in the 5-A grade. I have one
sister. This is my first letter I have written
to you. I go to Sunday-school every Sunday
that I can. We go to the Presbyterian church.
My father takes the Presbyterian and I love
to read your good stories.
Your friend,
Elkins, W. Va. Anna Ruth Kcplinger.
Dear Anna : I am so glad to know that you
like the stories in the Presbyterian of the
South. Which do you like best? II. A.
TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY.
Dear Presbyterian : I am a little boy ten
years old. My mother's name is Mrs. Nettie
Martin. My father's name is Mr. Jim Mar
tin. My teacher's name is Miss Carrie Patter
son. I go to school every day. My mother has
only four children
Herbert Martin.
Richmond, Va., R.
Dear Herbert: It is fine that you can go
to school every day. Do you study hard?
H. A.
MANY GOOD FRIENDS.
Dear Presbyterian : I go to school every day.
I am a little girl eight years old. I like my
school teacher. My desk-mate is good to me.
Her name is Emma Atkinson. T have five sis
ters. Everyone is good to me. I go to Sunday
school. My Sunday-school teacher's name is
Mrs. Susie Martin.
Yours truly,
Mozell Tucker.
Richmond, Va., R. 1.
Dear Mozell : Everybody seems to be good
to you. I know that makes you a happy and
a good girl. H. A.
A SOLDIER BROTHER.
Dear Presbyterian : I am a boy 13 years old
and I am in the seventh grade. I have two
brothers, oue is with the soldier company on
the Mexican border, the other goes to school
and he is in the fourth grade. I go to the
Park Avenue Presbyterian church. My Sun
day-school teacher is named Mr. Coley.
From your truly friend,
Cecil Farant Portlock.
Norfolk, Va.
Dear Cecil: I know you are proud of your
soldier brother. IIow does he like the border?
When do you expect him home again? H. A.
WHOOPING COUGH.
Dear Presbyterian : I am a little girl eleven
years old. I go to Sunday-school every Sun
day I can. I cannot go now as I have the
whooping-cough. I go to school, too, when I
am well. I have two sisters and two brothers.
My cousin takes your paper and I like to
read the letters. I have a pet calf. Its name
is Katie.
Your unknown friend,
Mary Cookman.
Lost Creek, W. Va.
Dear Mary : I do hope you are not having
a very bad time with the whoop-cough and will
soon be well. H. A.
"Lord, thou hast work for little hands,
For they must do Thy wise commands;
Thou hast a way for little feet,
That leads to heaven's golden street.
Our hands, our feet, our little lives,
We give to Christ a sacrificei"