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THE BAPTIST BANNER.
BY JAS. N. ELLS & CO.
VOL. IV.
Slit "I’annn,
DEVOTED TO RELIGION AND LITERATURE,
Is published every Saturday, at Atlanta, Georgia, at the
subscription price of routr dollars per year.
JAMES N. ELLS 4 CO.,
Proprietors.
WHAT SHALL I GIVE?
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Give prayers; the evening hath begun;
Be earlier than the rising sun.
Remember those who feel the rod;
Remember those who know not God.
His hand can boundless blessings give;
Breathe prayers —through them the soul shall live.
Give alms, the needy sink with pain ;
The orphans mourn, the crushed complain.
Give freely—hoarded gold is cursed,
A prey to robbers and to rust.
Christ, through His poor, a claim doth make—
Give gladly, for our Saviour’s sake.
Give books: they live when you are dead—
Light on the darkened mind they shed ;
Good seed they sow, from age to age,
Through all this mortal pilgrimage;
They nurse the germs of holy trust,
They wake untired when you are dust.
Give smiles to cheer the little child,
A stranger on this thorny wild;
It bringeth love, its guard te be—
It, helpless, asketh love of thee ;
However by fortune’s gift unblessed,
Give smiles to childhood’s guileless breast.
Give words, kind words, to those who err;
Rtemorse doth need a comforter.
Though in temptation’s wiles they fall,
Condemn not—we are sinners all.
With the sweet charity of speech.
Give words that heal and words that teach.
Give thought, give energy to theme#
That perish not like f olly’s dreams.
Hark! from the islands of the sea
The missionary cries to thee
To aid him on a heathen soil—
Give thought, give energy, give toil.
SMILES FOR HOME.
rpAKE that home with you, dear,”
[ said Mrs. Lewis, her manner half
smiling, half serious.
“Take what home, Caddy ? ” and Mr.
Lewis turned towards his wife curiously.
Now, Mrs. Lewis had spoken from the
moment’s impulse, and already partly re
gretted her remark.
“Take what home?” repeated her hus
band ; “ I don’t understand you.”
“That smiling face you turned upon Mr.
Edwards when you answered his question
just now.”
Mr. Lewis slightly averted his head and
walked on in silence. They had called in
at the store of Mr. Edwards to purchase a
few articles, and were now on their way
home. There was no smile on the face of
Mr. Lewis now, but a very grave expres
sion instead —grave almost to sternness. —
The words of his wife had taken him alto
gether by surprise, and, though spoken
lightly, had jarred upon his ears.
The truth was, Mr. Lewis, like a great
many other men who have their own busi
ness cares and troubles, was in the habit of
bringing home a sober, and tooolten a cloud
ed face. It was in vain that his wife and
children looked into that face for sunshine,
or listened to his words for tones of cheer
fulness.
“Take that home with you, dear.” Mrs.
Lewis was already repenting thi- sugges
tion, made on the moment’s impulse. Her
husband was sensitive to a fault. He could
not bear even an implied censhre from his
wife. And so she had learned to be very
guarded in this particular.
“‘Take that home with you, dear.’ Ah
me! 1 wish the words had not been said.
There will be darker clouds now, and, gra
cious knows, they were dark enough be
fore! Why can’t Nir. Lewis leave his
cares and,business behind him, and let us
see the old, pleasant, smiling face again ?
I thought this morning that he had forgot
ten how to smile; but 1 see that he can
smile if he tries. Ah ! why don’t he try
at home ? ”
So Mrs. Lewis talked herself as she
moved along by the side of her husband,
who had not spoken a word since her reply
to his query, “Take what home?” Block
after block was passed, and street after
street crossed, and still there was silence
between them.
“Os course,” said Mrs. Lewis, speaking
in her own thoughts, “of course he is
offended. He won’t bear a word from me.
I might have known, beforehand, that talk
, ing out in this way would only make things
worse. Oh, dear! lam getting out of all
_ heart!”
' “ What then, Caddy ?”
Mrs. Lewis almost started at the sound
of her husband’s voice, breaking unexpect
edly upon her ear in a softened tone.
•■What then?” he repeated, turning to
wards her. and looking down into her shyly
upturned face.
“h would send warmth and radiance
through the whole house,” said Mrs. Lewis,
her tones all a-tremble with feeling.
“You think so? ”
' “ I know so! Only try it, dear, for this
one evening.’’
. “It isn't so easy a thing to put on a
smiling face, Caddy, when thought is op
pressed with care.
“ It didn’t seem to require much effort
just now,” said Mrs. Lewis, glancing up at
her husband with something of archness in
her look.
Again a shadow dropped down upon the
A. BESsTOSOUS A£i& SAMSAX 3XMWBS>AB>S IB.
face of Mr. Lewis, which was again partly
turned away; and again they walked on in
silence.
“He is so sensitive ! ” Mrs. Lewis said
to herself, the shadow on her husband’s face
darkening over her own. “ I have to be as
careful of my words as if talking to a spoil
ed child.”
No, it did not require much effort on the
part of Mr. Lewis to smile as he passed a
few words lightly with Mr. Edwards. The
remark of his wife had not really displeased
him ; it had only set him to thinking. Af
ter remaining gravely silent, because he
was undergoing a brief self-examination,
Mr. Lewis said :
“You thought the smile given Mr. Ed
wards came easily enough ? ”
“It did not seem to require an effort,”
replied Mrs. Lewis.
“ No, not much effort was required,”
said Mr. Lewis. His tones were slightly
depressed. “ But this must be taken into
the account: my mind was in a certain
state of excitement or activity, that repress
ed sober feelings and made smiling an easy
thing. So we smile and are gay in compa
ny at cost of little effort, because all are
smiling and gay, and we feel the common
sphere of excitement. How different it
often is when we are alone, I need not say.
You, Caddy, are guilty of the sober face at
home as well as your husband.”
“ But the sober face is caught from yours
oftener than you imagine, my husband,”
replied Mrs. Lewis.
“Are you certain of that, Caddy?”
“Very certain. You make the sunlight
and the shadow of your home. Smile upon
us; give us cheerful words ; enter into our
feelings and interests, and there will be no
brighter home in all the land. A shadow
on your countenance is a veil for my heart;
and the same is true as respects our chil
dren. Our pulses strike too nearly in union
not to be disturbed when yours has lost its
even beat.”
Again Mr. Lewis walked on in silence,
his face partly averted ; and again his wife
began to fear that she had spoken too free
ly. But he soon dispelled this impression,
for he said :
“ I am glad, Caddy, that you have spo
ken thus plainly. I only wish that you
had done so before. I see how it is. My
smiles have been for the outside world —
the world that neither loved nor regarded
me—and my clouded brow for the dear
ones at home, for whom thought and care
are ever-living activities.”
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis were now at their
own door, where they paused a moment,
and then went in. Instantly, upon passing
his threshold, Mr. Lewis felt the pressure
upon him of his usual state. The hue of
his feelings began to change. The cheerful,
interested exterior put on for those he met
in business intercourse, began rapidly to
change, and a sober hue to succeed. Like
most business men, his desire for profitable
results was tar in advance of the slow evo
lutions of trade; and his daily history was
a history of disappointments in some mea
sure dependent on his restless anticipations.
He was not as willing to work and to wait
as he should be; and, like many of his
class, negated the pearls that lay, here and
there, along his life-paths, because they were
inferior in value to those he hoped to find
just a little way in advance. The conse
quence was that when the day’s business
excitement was over, his mind fell into a
brooding state, and lingered over its disap
pointments, or looked forward with failing
hope in the future—for hope in many thin’gs
had been long deferred—and so fee rarely
had smiles for his home.
“Take that home with you, dear,” whis
pered Mrs. Lewis, as they moved Jiong the
passage, and before they had joined the
family. She had an*instinctive conscious
ness that her husband was in danger of
relapsing into his usual state.
The warning was just in time.
“ Thank you for the words,” said he; “ I
shall not forget them.”
And he did not; but at rallied him
self, and to the glad surprise of Jenny, Will,
and Mary, met them with a new face, cov
ered with fatherly smiles, and with pleasant
questions, in pleasant tones, of their day’s
employments. The feelings of children move j
in quick transitions. They had not expect
ed a greeting like this; but the response
was instant. Little Jenny climbed into her
father’s arms. Will came and stood by his'
chair, answering in lively tones his ques
tions; while Mary, older by a few years!
than the rest, leaned against her father’s
shoulder and laid her white hand softly up
on his head, smoothing back the dark hair,
just showing a little frost, from his broad,
manly temples.
A pleasant group was this for the eyes of
Mrs. Lewis, a# she came forth from the
chamber to the sitting-room, where she
had gone to lay off’ her bonnet and shawl,
and change her dress. XX ell did her hus
band understand the meaning look she gave
him; and warmly did her heart respond to
the smile which he threw back on her.
j “ Words fitly spoken are like apples of
I gold in pictures of silver,” said Mr. Lewis,
speaking to her as she camo in.
“ What do you mean by that?” asked
Mary, looking curiously into her father’s
i lace.
ATLANTA, GA., SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 1863.
HIS BANNER OVER US IS LOVE.
“ Mother understands,” replied Mr. Lew
is, smiling tenderly upon his wife.
“Something pleasant must have happen
ed,” said Mary.
“ Something pleasant ? Why do you
i say that ?” asked Mr. Lewis.
“You and mother look so happy,” re
plied the child.
“And we have cause to be happy,” an
swered the father, as he drew his arm
tightly around her, “ in having three such
good children.”
Mary laid her cheek to his, and whisper
ed : “If you are smiling and happy, dear
father, home will be like heaven ! ”
Mr. Lewis kissed her, but did not reply.
He felt a rebuke in her words. But the
rebuke did not throw a chill over his feel
ings ; it only gave a new strength to his
purposes.
“ Don’t distribute all your smiles. Keep
a few of the warmest and brightest for
home,” said Mrs. Lewis, as she parted with
her husband on the next morning. He kiss
ed her, but did not promise. The smiles
were kept, however, and evening saw them;
though not for the outside world. Other,
and many evenings saw the same cheerful
smiles, and the same happy home.
And, reader, was not Mr. Lewis a better
and happier man ? Os course he was. —
And so would all men be, if they would
take home the smiling aspect they so
often exhibit as they meet their fellow-men
in business intercourse, or exchange words
in passing compliments. Take your smiles
and cheerful words home with you, hus
bands, fathers, and brothers. Your hearths
are cold and dark without them.
Power of Prayer.
The Bible account of the power of pray
er is the best we have or can have :
Abraham’s servant prays —Rebekah ap
pears.
Jacob prays —the angel is conquered;
Esau’s revenge is turned to fraternal love.
Joseph prays—he is delivered iom the
prison of Egypt.
Moses prays —-Amlek is discomfitted;
Israel triumphs.
Joshua prays—the sun stands still; vic
tory is gained.
Hannah prays—the prophet Samuel is
born.
David prays —Ahithophel goes out and
hangs himself.
Asa prays —Israel gains a glorious vic
tory.
Jehosaphat prays —God turns away His
anger and smiles.
Elijah prays—the little cloud appears,
the rain descends upon the earth.
Elisha prays —the waters of the Jordan
are divided ; a child is restored to life.
Isaiah prays—one hundred, eighty and
four thousand Assyrians are dead.
Hezekiah prays—the sun dial is turned
back ; his life is prolonged.
Mordecai prays —Haman is hanged ; Is
rael is free.
Nehemiah prays—the King’s heart is
softened in a minute.
Ezra prays—the walls of Jerusalem be
gin to rise.
The Church prays—the Holy Ghost is
poured out.
The Church prays again—Peter is deliv
ered by an angel.
Paul and Silas pray —the prison shakes,
the door opens, every man’s bands are
loosed.
j-tr
Our Children.
When we see the monks of the thirteenth
century assembling an army of children for
the recovery of “ the holy land ” from the
misrule of the “infidel,” and appealing, for
the inspiration of their enterprise, to the
words of the Psalmist, “ Out of the mouth
of babes and sucklings hast Thou perfected
praise,”—what shall we say? We can not
say that these words had not a meaning
and a power for that time, since they have
a meaning and a power for all things. We
must say that the error of the movement
consisted in what children were incited to
i perform as a work of the Lord, not in the
i belief that there is a work of the Lord
i which children may perform, for this is a
| precious truth.
I But is it not more important to inquire
j whether we have read this truth aright?—
, Do we properly realize that Je*us, as “the
i Captain of their salvation,” has a present,
urgent claim on our children? Have we
: felt, as we should feel, that even in the ten
derness ot their early years, it becomes
them to enlist in His army of “the called
and chosen, and faithful ” ? Is it a matter
of anxiety with us that they should be in
vested now with the panoply ot spiritual
■ warfare—a matter of grief that they are
, not? Oh, do we yearn, and pray, and la-;
bor, that they may be numbered with the
“ little ones,” out ot whose mouths God
• perfects His praise, as the God who from;
all stages of life gathers most from the first,'
F infirmest stages ? If these things are not j
, so, then is our error as great and as ruin-;
ous as the error of the monks. XX ho shall j
say whether we or they will incur the se-'j
i verest condemnation at the bar of final
judgment? ’
Beautify your Home.
Every man should do his best to own a
good, comfortable home. The first money
he can spare ought to be invested in a
dwelling where his family can live perma
nently. Viewed as a matter of economy,
that is important, not only because ho can
ordinarily build cheaper than he can rent,
but because ot the expense caused by a fre
quent change of residence. A man who in
early life builds for himself a house will
save some thousands of dollars in the course
of twenty years, besides avoiding the incon
venience and trouble of removals. Apart
from this, there is something agreeable to
our better nature in having a home that we
can call our own. It is a form of property
that is more than property. It speaks to
the heart, enlists the sentiments, and enno
bles the possessor. The associations that
spring up around it, as the birth-place of
children —as the scene of life’s holiest emo
tions —as the sanctuary where the spirit
cherishes its purest thoughts, are above all
value ; and, whenever its influence is exert
ed, the moral sensibilities are improved and
exalted. The greater part of our happiness
of to day is increased by tjie place where
we were happy yesterday, and thus, insensi
bly, scenes and circumstances gather up a
store of blessedness for the weary hours of
the future. On this account we should do
all in our power to make home attractive.
Not only should we cultivate such tempers
as serve to make its intercourse amiable
and affectionate, but we should strive to
adorn it with those charms which sense and
refinement so easily impart to it. XVe say
easily, for there are persons who think that
a home connot be made beautiful without a
considerable outlay of money. Those peo
ple are in error. It costs little to have a
neat flower garden, and to surround your
dwelling with those simple beauties which
delight the eye far more than expensive ob
jects. If you will let the sunshine and dew
adorn your yard, they will do more for
you than any artist. Nature delights in
beauty. She loves to brighten the land
scape and make it agreeable to the eye.—
She hangs the ivy around the ruin, and over
the stump of a withered tree twines the
graceful vine. A thousand arts she practices
to animate the senses and please the mind.
Follow her example, and do for yourself
what she is always laboring to do for you.
Beauty is a divine instrumentality. It is one
of God’s chosen forms of power. We nev
er see creative energy without something
beyond mere existence, and hence the whole
universe is a teacher and inspirer of beauty.
Every man was born to I e an artist so far
as the appreciation and enjoyment of beau
ty are concerned, and robs himself of one
of the precious gifts of his being if he fails
to fulfill this beneficent purpose of his cre
ation.
The Blessings of a Rural Life.
Cultivate a love for the country. The se
rene joys .which a rural life can afford, are
far preferable to the noisy, and alas, too of
ten vicious gratifications which we seek
amid the whirl of a city life. The city, as
it were, ties the soul’s affections to the earth
—the works and ways of the world in it
too often hide from our eyes the fair face of
Nature, and lead us to forget the glorious
God who made us, and to whom we are in
debted for life, and health, and all things.
Vapid, empty and artificial are the joys
of a city life, when compared with the sa
cred delights which a rural residence can
give to a mind highly constituted. Solita
ry communion with Nature is one of the ■
holiest delights that the world can bestow
—a delight which is sure to benefit the mind
which enjoys it. Purity is stamped on Na
ture’s form; and communion with her is j
sure to fill the soul with much that is pure,
and lovely and of good report.
In every season of the year, residence in’
the country has a beneficial effect on the hu
man soul. In Spring, when the trees again
put on their singing robes, and murmur
forth the praises of Him who made them.
Spring has a tendency to give buoyancy to
the spirits—that heart is callous that does,
not awake and sing when all things around
are beaming with hope and promise.
In Summer the blushing flowers are seen
amid rural retreats, and seem, methinks,
like stolen glories from Paridise; then the,
sinking birds thrill forth their melodies, the i
purest and the sweetest ever heard on
earth, and which may well raise the thoughts
away’ from this vanishing world of ours to
the glory-land beyond. i
In Autumn the country teaches us wis
dom lessons; the whispers that are heard
when the leaves are falling, seem, methinks,
sweet echoes from the angel world, telling
us that we, too, must soon fade and vanish
like the leaves of the forest, and be found I
no more on earth at all.
In XVinter we are led to revere Him who
; doeth all things well—who hath hid the
flowers beneath a snowy mantle to enhance
our joy on again beholding them; and who
> sends the storms to purify the atmosphere,
■ and the rain to cause the earth to bring
forth fruit in its season.
To the thoughtful mind, reflections such :
as these are suggested by a rural life, which,
j should not be decried as listless and un
-1 pleasant. Communion with Nature can give
Imsch real joy.
TERMS— Four Dollars a-year.
HOUSE KEEPERS’ COLUMN.
HOW TO RENDER ASSISTANCE IN AC
CIDENTS.
We suggest for the benefit of readers,
especially in country places, the best course
to be adopted in emergencies like the fol
lowing :
In case of a fractured or dislocated limb,
let the sufferer lay on the ground until a
couch, door, or plank can be procured, for
in raising him up he may die from faintness
or loss of blood. When procured, place the
door or plank alongside of him, cover it
with something soft, and let men convey
him steadily home, but do not put him into
a vehicle of any kind.
In fits. — If a person falls in one, let him
remain on the ground, provided his face be
pale, for should it be faintingor temporary
suspension of the heart’s action, you may
bause death by raising him upright, or by
bleeding; but if the face be dark or red col
ored, raise him on his seat, throw cold wa
ter on his head immediately, and send fora
surgeon and get a vein opened, or fatal
pressure on the brain may ensue.
In hanging or drowning, expose the chest
as quickly as possible, and throw ice water
over it, whilst the body is kept in a sitting
position.
Children in Convulsions.— Deluge the
head in cold water, and put the feet in warm
water, till medicsl aid can be procured.
Poison. Give an emetic of a tea-spoon
ful of mustard flour in a tea-cup of warm
watgr every ten minutes, till vomiting en
sues, or medical assistance is obtained.
Burns and Scalds.— Let the burnt part be
bathed in a mixture of turpentine and olive
oil, or linseed oil, equal parts, till the pain
abates; then dress it with a common cerate
and defend it fron the air.
A Gqojj Substitute for Coffee.—At
this time, when coffee is selling at three to
four dollars a pound, the following sugges
tion, from a correspondent of a Southern
paper, is worth trying;
“ Many worthless substitutes for coffee
have been named. The acorn need only be
tried once to be discarded. Corn meal and
grits can easily bo detected by the taste.
Rye is only tolerable. Okra seed is excel
lent, but it costs about a dollar a pound,
which puts it entirely out of the question.
Whjfc then, can we use? We want some
thing that tastes like coffee, smells like it, and
looks like it. We have just the thing in the
sweet potatoe. When properly prepared,
I defy any person to detect the difference
between it and a cup of pure Rio.
Preparation.— Peel your potatoes and
slice them rather thin ; dry them in the sun
or on a stove; then cut them into pieces
small enough to go into the coffee-mill, and
grind them. Two table-spoonfuls of ground
coffee and three or four of potatoes will
make eight or nine cups of coffee, clear,
pure, and well tasted.”
Cement for China.—The following re
cipe is taken from an English almanac, and
is said to answer admirably—the fracture
being scarcely visible after the article has
been repaired :
“Take a very thick solution of gum ara
bic dissolved in water, and stir into it plas
ter of Paris until the mixture becomes a
vicious paste. Apply it with a brush to the
fractured edges, and stick them together.
■ In three days the article cannot be broken
iin the same place. The whiteness of the
cement renders it doubly valuable.
To Cure Soke Throat.—Take the whites
i of two eggs and beat them with two spoon
full# of white sugar;’grate in a little nut
' meg, and then add a pint of lukewarm wa
ter. Stir well and drink often. Repeat the
prescription if necessary, and it will cure
the most obstinate case of hoarseness in a
short time. So says an exchange.
Interesting to Housewives.—TheVicks
burg Whig notices a favor sent to that of
fice by a lady as follows :
“A great curiosity was sent us by Mrs.
Blanchard. It was a ‘model economical
candle ’ sixty yards long, and, it is said, will
burn six hours each night for six months;
and all that light at a cost of about fifty
cents. It is made by taking one pound of
beeswax and three-fourths of a pound of
rosin, and melting them together; then take
about four threads of slack-twisted cotton
for a wick, and draw it about three times
through the melted wax and rosin, and wind
it in a ball; pull the end up above the ball
a: d light it, and you have a very good can
dle. Ours is very fancifully wound on a
corn-cob, and makes a pretty ornament.”
Use Rice.—Rice is nW only a good ar
ticle of food, but is a preventive and cure
for some of the diseases peculiar to warm
weather. Rice-water quenches thirst, and
acts as an antidote to the diarrhoea. As the
summer is rapidly approaching, we would
I recommend the free use of this wholesome
, article, especially as it is as cheap as any
thing else that can be had.
I ■*—*
I Terms of ‘ The Banner,’ 14 per year.
NO. 3.