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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.