Burke's weekly for boys and girls. (Macon, Ga.) 1867-1870, June 04, 1870, Image 1

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Entor ed according to Act of Congress, in June, 1869, by J. W. Burke & Cos., in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the So. District of G eorgi a VOL. 111--NO. 49. THE MISSION SCHOOL. tS Mabel grew older, she be came more and [more at tached to her pleasant Sun day school, and more anx- ious that others might share its blessed privileges. One day when she was about four teen years old, she saidj to her mo ther : “ Why is it that the little ragged children who go with me once will seldom go again ?” “It is because they feel out ol place, my dear,” answered her mo tlicr. “Itisof no use to try to make anything of them. They would rath er be in the company of those who are like themselves.” “ That is it—just the reason,” re plied Mabel; “I wonder I did not think of it. Our school-room is too nice, and we all dress too well.” “Yes,” said her mother, “and I hope you will be contented to leave them alone.” But Mabel was not contented. Now that she knew the reason of her want of success, she determined to try and remedy it. Just back ot the street where she lived was an alley, and on it an old building which had been used for a cooper’s shop, iho glass was broken out ot the windows, the door was off its hinges, and the ceilings and walls wore festooned with cobwebs. Mabel sought out the owner of the building and told him she wanted to hire it for a Mission Sunday School. He smiled and shook his head in a doubtful kind of way, then replied: “There’s need enough of some thing of the kind, and if you want the old shop you’re welcome to it, though I’ve no idea you can get any one to come in. If you’d only get a fiddle, now, and offer to teach ’em to dance, it would be all right. They would come in fast enough.” Mabel had pocket-money of her own, and with it she hired a woman to clean the building, and whitewash the walls. MACON, GEORGIA, JUNE 4, 1870. Then she went to her minister, and tell ing him what she had done, asked him to advise her what to do next. He was much pleased, and told her she had best go around and invite the children to come the next Sunday, promising at the same time to assist her as much as was in his power. When the owner of the shop saw how much in earnest Mabel was, he became himself very much interested. He put the door again upon its hinges, and caused some plain benches to be con structed for the children to sit upon. The next Sunday was a bright, clear day, and in the afternoon Mabel repair- Whole No. 153. ell to the shop, coaxing two or three little ones along with her as she went. Quite a crowd of children was collected in the alley, but they would not come in. She promised them papers and cards; still they would not come. Pretty soon the cooper came, and seeing what the trouble was, he went home and brought his violin, telling Mabel that he would play a few dancing tunes, and then they would come quick enough. She would not consent to this, however, and just as she was begin ning to feel a little discouraged, the minister and his daughter came. They concluded to sing, and see if that would not prove an attraction. They sang, “We are trying to climb up Zion’s hill,” and in spite of the minister’s frowns, the cooper gave his violin a sly touch now and then. Sure enough, in a few minutes they came docking in. Mabel soon formed them in classes. A prayer was offered, a chapter read, and another song sung, the children joining in the chorus. Then she gave them all beautiful picture-cards, and promising another to each one who would bring anew scholar the next Sunday, they were dismissed, each feeling very much pleased, but none more than Mabel. Laura Spring, in the Little Sower. A Fable. A young man once picked up a sovereign lying in the road. Ever afterward, as he walked along, he kept his eyes steadily fixed on the ground, in the hope of finding an other. And, in the course of a long life, he did pick up at different times a good amount of gold and silver. But all these days that he was look ing for them, he saw not that heaven was bright above him and nature was beautiful around. He never once al lowed his eyes to look up, and when he died, a rich old man, he only knew this fair earth of ours as a dirty road to pick up money in as you walk along,