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Our Letter Bag.
/j|g receive a great many letters from the
little people all over the country. Many
of them are well written, with all the
words correctly spelled, but a good
many are evidently from young begin-
A? ners, and are not models either of pen
manship or orthography. But they are none the
less welcome for that. We want the little ones —
those who are just beginning —to write to us with
the understanding that we will not criticise their
first efforts, and are just as glad to hear from them
as if they were “ grown folks. ’ ’ *
Os course we cannot answer the vast pile of
letters we receive—it would take up all our time
to reply to only a portion of them. But we pro
pose, from time to time, to make extracts from
some of them. This week we shall begin with
one from Nina H., Atlanta. She says : “ Your
Weekly is giving entire satisfaction, and I hope
to get you some subscribers.” She sends us one,
for which we are obliged. She also sends correct
answers to puzzles Nos. 10, 11, 12, 16 and 17.
Miss Lydia E. L., New Orleans, says : “ I was
very glad indeed yesterday when my papa brought
me home the first number of your new Weekly.
I read it with a great deal of delight. I was so
glad to get a paper from Macon.” Lydia was a
resident of Macon during a part of the war. She
sends correct answers to nearly all the puzzles,
etc., in No. 1.
Laura E. A., Hawkinsville, writes: “I am
trying to get up a club for your Weekly. I think
we will all like it. lam thirteen years old, and
belong to the Baptist Sabbath School at this
place.” We hope to receive a goodly number of
names from our little friend.
A gentleman in Glenville, Ala., writes : “Your
recent undertaking to get up a paper for the boys
and girls is very commendable. Such a thing, it
seems to me, is very much needed. I hope you
will succeed.” He shows his faith by his works,
and sends us three subscribers.
Minnie N. 8., Columbus, sends us sl, and
says—“Mr. Burke: I can’t send but half your
subscription price now, but hope, before*the six
months is out, to send the other half, as Mamma
says I must pay iny own money for papers.” All
right, Minnie. We want all the little people who
cannot send us a years’ subscription to send us
what they can. 50 cents will pay for the paper
three months, $1 for six months, and by the time
their subscriptions run out they will probably have
more money.
But we must stop for want of room. We could
fill several columns, but can give no more now.
Jack Dobell; or, a Boy’s Adventures in
Texas.*
We shall publish, as soon as we can find room
for it, probably next w r eek, the introductory chap
ter of one of the most thrilling stories it has ever
been our good fortune to read. It is from the pen
of a gentleman now a resident of Texas, —one of
the few survivors of the dreadful “ Fannin massa
cre,” —and is a faithful narrative of his wonderful
escape from a horrible, death, and his perilous
adventures in reaching the “ white settlements.”
We hazard nothing in saying that it will be found
one of the most deeply interesting stories ever put
in print, and as it has been copyrighted, it can
only be read in the columns of our paper. Send
on your subscriptions at once, if you wish to have
it entire, as we shall print only a limited number
of copies.
BTJEKE’S WEEKLY.
REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY.
* iaS keen noticed that
there are ten times more
accidents on thejj Sabbath
than on any other day.—
Most of these accidents hap
pen to the ungodly while they are
pursuing “the pleasures of sin,”
i ns t ea( l of serving God. He gives
'*o us six days for our own use, and
it is surely a very reasonable demand up
on our time that we should give him the
seventh. You, perhaps, remember the
story of the Sabbath-breaker, as related
in the fifteenth chapter of the book of
aSTumbers. Moses’ account of it is in these
words :
“ And while the children of Israel were
in the wilderness, they found a man that
gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day;
and they that found him gathering sticks
brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and
told all the congregation; and they put
him in ward, be
cause it was not
declared what
should be done
with him. And
the Lord said un
t o Moses: The
man shall surely
be put to death;
and all the con
gregation shall
stone him with
stones without the
camp. And all the congregation brought
him without the camp and stoned him
with stones, and he died, as the Lord com
manded Moses.”
What a terrible punishment for a
violation of the Sabbath! Although
swifter it was not more sure than the
punishment which God will inflict on all
Sabbath breakers. God’s commandments
are all just and good; the difficulty of
observing them arises from the wicked
ness of our own hearts. They are in
tended for our good and the good of our
fellow creatures, and there is not one of
the ten commandments the violation of
which does not eventually bring upon us
punishment in this life, as well as in the
life to come, while the violation of the
fourth commandment frequently brings
with it a retribution as swift and terrible
as that which befel the man in the days
of Moses.
Two boys named Samuel and John P.,
went to a school, one of the rules of which
required all the children to attend some
place of public worship on the Sabbath
day- These boys had been in the habit
of playing in the woods and fields on
Sunday, instead of going to church. One
Saturday, in the month of January, the
teacher called Samuel up to his desk, re
proved him for his fault and attempted
to convince him that it was both his duty
and interest to keep holy the Sabbath
day, and to attend public worship. He
did not, however, regard the advice of
his master, but on the next day (Sun
day,) he and his brother John were play
ing on the ice both morning and after
noon. A woman who v r as passing that
way told John that if he went to a cer
tain part of the ice he would be drowned,
but the thoughtless and hardened boy
replied : “I’ll chance it.” He did indeed
chance it, for he went forward, jumped
two or three times, when the ice broke
and he fell in and was drowned. Twenty
minutes passed before his body could be
found, and then he was carried away,
and the usual means of restoring life were
used, but in vain. Thus through his own
ing the holy Sabbath.
Here is a pretty song, by Hr. Watts,
about Sunday morning:
This is the day when Christ arose
So early from the dead;
Why should I keep my eyelids closed,
And waste my hours in bed ?
This is the day when Jesus broke
The power of death and hell;
And shall I still wear Satan’s yoke,
And love my sins so well ?
To-day with pleasure Christians meet
To pray and hear the Word ;
And I would go with cheerful feet
To learn thy will, 0 Lord.
I’ll leave my sport to read and pray,
And so prepare for Heaven ;
Oh, may I love this blessed day,
The best of all the seven.
If we would have powerful minds
wc must think ; if we would have faithful
hearts, we must love; if we would have
strong muscles, we must labor; and these
three—thought, love, labor—include all
that is valuable in life.
Men spend their lives in trying to
understand each other, and at the close
are compelled to acknowledge that they
cannot even understand themselves.
29
wickedness this
poor boy perish
ed at the age of
eight years. His
brother Samuel
also fell in up to
his arm-pits, but
he was saved after
having received
this awful warn
ing against neg
lecting the house
of God, and break-