Newspaper Page Text
Hattie’s Dream.
ff ITTLE HATTIE had been sick for a long
time, and her physician did not know if
she would ever be well again. Sometimes
Hattie was very patient, and then again
she would be fretful and peevish, and for
get the blessings and enjoyments that still
l| remained to her, in thinking of those she had lost.
One night she had been very cross, and her
mother went to sleep with a heavy heart, thinking
sorrowfully of her little daughter, but the next
morning Hattie’s face wore such a calm and
; peaceful expression that her mother said to her:
“ Did you not sleep better than usual last
S night, Hattie dear ?’ ’
“ Yes, mother, but it was not the sleep that did
' me so much good as a beautiful dream that I had.
|| If you will listen, I will tell it to you.
“ I thought that I saw a number of angels com
. ing out of the blue sky ; their white wings rested
1 against the sky like those soft little fleecy clouds
T that I love to look at, and their hair was shining
and sparkling just as the stars sparkle among the
if clouds. But there was one, oh ! so much more
I beautiful than all the rest! His face looked as I
think yours will look when you go to Heaven, and
I felt as if I could never know any more pain if
his white wings were only folded round me. I
ff thought that I asked one of the angels what was
' the meaning of all that I saw, and he told me
If those were the angels that God sent on earth to
watch over the sorrowful, the helpless, and the
H suffering, and that the most beautiful of them all
C was the one who watches over suffering children ;
' : and as he said so, mother, I saw the angels pity
jf in g eyes turn upon me, and thought I felt the
touch of his healing wings. E. P. M.
Shoddy.
) GOOD many of our little readers have,
w e expect, seen this word used in connec-
W > tion with those who have suddenly grown
| r ich and aristocratic, and have doubtless
1 wondered what it meant. We confess
dp that we were ourself ignorant of its
meaning until we met with an article
from an English jmper, a day or two since. It
; seems that “ shoddy ” is old wool made as good
I as new. Every manufacturer keeps what is called
I a devil, a ravenous beast with a fearful set of iron
I teeth, and an insatiable appetite for old coats and
I old trousers, or old anything that is made of wool.
Toss him an old garment, and he will tear it to
pieces in no time. The spun and woven threads
| are converted into wool again, and are worked up
mto new threads, to be woven once more into a
piece of cloth. Cloth so made —with a mixture
| °f new wool —looks very well. Indeed, it is diffi
| cult to tell which is shoddy cloth and which is not.
We all wear shoddy without knowing it. For
light wear, shoddy will serve every purpose ; but
I it will not stand strain and exertion. You must
not venture to practice gymnastics in a pair of
shoddy trousers. Here is the weakness of shoddy
I the shortness of the staple. You know now, if
I you did not know before, why the old clothesman
I is so eager and anxious to buy any garment, how-
I ever ragged, which is composed entirely of wool.
♦♦♦
Sammy, Sammy, my son, don’t stand
I scratching your head—stir your stumps, or
j you will make no progress in life.” “Why,
father,” replied the hopeful, “I’ve often heard
I y° u sa y that the only way to get on in this world
was to scratch a-head .”
BXJRKE’S WEEKLY.
THE BEST OF BOOKS.
/ HAT is a book ? Can
my little readers answer
this question ? Is it not
like a chest, which con
tains the most interost
sylAv in S P ar t of the creation of God—
&M) the mind of a human being? From
Vjwj this mind you may have been
4$ separated by wide oceans or dis
tant ages; but here it has come to dwell
with you; to give you its best thoughts;
to share with you
the treasures of
know t l e and g o ob
tained by days,
and nights, and
years of laborious
study.
There w r as a
time when books
could be had only
at great expense
and pains. A
poor man, per
haps, never saw a
book. There were no books for the
young ; now they visit every household.
In books of history you learn about past
ages, and of all the nations of the world.
The traveler opens to you the distant
countries of the east, guides you through
the interior of Africa, to the frozen regions
of the north pole, and tells you of the
manners and customs of every land. Then
you have the memoirs of great and good
men to serve as examples for your own
life. Other books teach you about the
stars, and open up to you the secret trea
sures hidden in the bosom of the earth.
Then there are books of poetry, and story
books without number. But the best of
all books—the one which is above and
before all other books—is the Bible. It
tells you of Him who was before the
world was made, but who came to the
earth and lived and died to save all who
believe in His name.
The choice of books is next in import
ance to a love of reading. As you would
shun bad company, so you must avoid
bad books. Good books are now so cheap,
and so easily obtained, that there are
very few who cannot procure them.
But the young should regard the Bible
as the first and best of books. We fear
that there are too many young folks who
read the Bible loss than they should.
Many story books derive their interest
and spirit from the Bible, and are useful
and delightful, but they ought to take a
ower place, and not engross time which
ought to bo given to the Bible. Do not
3e satisfied to drink from earthly streams
when you should go to the heavenly
fountains.
Bead the Bible daily, and seek to give
your minds to it. We heard of a young
lady once who was for years almost entire
ly shut out from religious friends, but she
had been w T ell educated, and preserved the
habit of daily reading a chapter in the
Bible, and she afterwards said she believ
ed it w T as this habit alone which kept
alive a religious spirit within her.
You will find your pleasure in reading
the Bible the greater if you read it with
these books, or from other sources, only
serves to show the truth of the Bible.
You must pray for the aid of the Holy
Spirit, that you may be made “ wise unto
salvation.” By His grace you will be led
to know and love the word of God. Ho
will lead you into the way of all truth,
cause you to feel your need of a Saviour,
and bring you to trust in the only Sa
viour made known to you in the Bible.
The books you should read will depend
much on the time you have for reading.
If you can read but few books beside your
Bible, let one be the history of your own
country. Good memoirs, and the lives
of old and young persons, will be found
well calculated to improve the heart and
mind.
When you borrow’ a book, put a cover
on it before you begin to read it. Use it
with clean hands, and never lay it on its
face, or where it is likely to be knocked
dowm. Never lend a bomnved 4>ook to
any one else, without the owner’s per
mission. Perform a borrower’s duty
strictly, and you will always find liberal
lenders. •
Explained.
“I cannot conceive, my dear, what
is the matter w r ith my watch ; I think it
must want cleaning,” exclaimed an in
dulgent husband to his better half, the
other day.
“ No, pa,” said his petted little daugh
ter, “ I know it don’t want cleaning, be
cause baby and I w r aslied it in the basin
ever so long this morning.”
45
a mind willing to
understand it.—
There are books
that throw light
on the history,
customs and way s
of life among the
Jews; and others
that explain the
prophecies, and
show how they
are fulfilled; but
all the light that
can be got from