and ,history 7,,hearth74 ,ithaca1 ,,ny3 
,albert ,r4 ,mann ,library1 ,cornell    
,university4                            
http3_/_/hearth4library4cornell4edu     
,,the  ,,child ,,at ,,home2   ,,or      
,,the ,,principles ,,of ,,filial ,,duty 
,,familiarly ,,illustrated4     ,,by    
,,john ,s4 ,c4 ,,abbott1    ,author ,of 
,the ,mother ,at ,home4     ,published  
,by ,the   ,american ,tract ,society    
#aej ,nassau-,street ,new-,york4        
,entered according to act of ,congress1 
in the year #ahcc1 by ,,crocker and     
,,brewster1 in the ,clerk's ,office of  
the ,district ,court of ,massachusetts4 
,right of publishing transferred to     
,american ,tract ,society4              
,,preface4    ,this book is intended for
 the children of those families to which
 ,the ,mother at ,home has gone4 ,it is 
prepared with the hope that it may exert
 an influence upon the minds of the     
children1 in exciting gratitude for     
their parents' love1 and in forming     
characters which shall ensure future    

usefulness and happiness4  ,the book is 
intended1 not for entertainment1 but for
 solid instruction4 ,i have endeavored1 
however1 to present instruction in an   
attractive form1 but with what success1 
the result alone can tell4 ,the object  
of the book will not be accomplished by 
a careless perusal4 ,it should be read  
by the child1 in the presence of the    
parent1 that the parent may seize upon  
the incidents and remarks introduced1   
and thus deepen the impression4  ,though
 the book is particularly intended for  
children1 or rather for young persons1  
it is hoped that it will aid parents in 
their efforts for moral and religious   
instruction4  ,it goes from the author  
with the most earnest prayer1 that it   
may save some parents from blighted     
hopes1 and that it may allure many      
children to gratitude1 and obedience1   
and heaven4    ,,john ,s4 ,c4 ,,abbott  
,worcester ,december1 #ahcc4            
,,table ,,of ,,contents4    ,chapter ,i4
    ,,responsibility4--,the ,police     

,court4 ,the widow and her daughter4    
,effect of a child's conduct upon the   
happiness of its parents4 ,the young    
sailor4 ,the condemned pirate visited by
 his parents4 ,consequences of          
disobedience4 ,a mother's grave4 ,the   
sick child4 4 4#g    ,chapter ,,ii4     
,,deception4--,george ,washington and   
his hatchet4--,consequences of          
deception4 ,temptations to deceive4     
,story of the child sent on an errand4  
,detection4 ,anecdote4 ,the dying child4
 ,peace of a dying hour disturbed by    
falsehood previously uttered4 ,various  
ways of deceiving4 ,thoughts on death4  
,disclosures of the judgment day4 4 4#bh
    ,chapter ,,iii4                     
,,obedience4--,firmness requisite in    
doing duty4 ,the irresolute boy4 ,the   
girl and the green apples4 ,temptations4
 ,evening party4 ,important consequences
 resulting from slight disobedience4    
,the state prison4 ,history of a young  
convict4 ,ingratitude of disobedience4  
,the soldier's widow and her son4 ,story

 of ,casabianca4 ,cheerful obedience4   
,illustration4 ,parental kindness4 4    
4#df    ,chapter ,,iv4    ,,obedience1  
continued4--,the moonlight game4        
,reasons why good parents will not allow
 their children to play in the streets  
in the evening4 ,the evening walk4 ,the 
terrified girl1 ,instance of filial     
affection4 ,anecdote4 ,strength of a    
mother's love4 ,the child's entire      
dependence4 ,a child rescued from       
danger4 ,child lost in the prairie44    
4#ga    ,chapter ,v4    ,,religious     
,,truth4--,human character4 ,the        
,northern ,voyagers4 ,imaginary scene in
 a court of justice4 ,love of ,god4     
,scene from ,shakspeare4 ,efforts to    
save us4 ,the protection of angels4 ,the
 evening party4 ,the dissolute son4 ,a  
child lost in the woods4 ,the sufferings
 of the ,savior4 ,the ,holy ,spirit4 4  
4#id    ,chapter ,,vi4                  
,,piety4--,penitence4 ,charles ,bullard4
 ,his good character in school4 ,in     
college4 ,the pious boy4 ,the orchard4  

,the fishing-rod4 ,the forgiving spirit4
 ,how children may do good4 ,the        
,english clergyman and the child who    
gave himself to the ,savior4 ,the happy 
sick boy4 ,the ,christian child in      
heaven4 ,uncertainty of life4 ,the      
loaded gun4 ,the boy in the stage-coach4
 4 4#aai    ,chapter ,,vii4    ,,traits 
,,of ,,character4--,we cannot be happy  
without friends4 ,why scholars are      
unpopular in school4 ,the way to gain   
friends4 ,the warm fire4 ,playing ball4 
,recipe for children who would be loved4
 ,a bad temper4 ,amiable disposition to 
be cultivated4 ,the angry man4          
,humility4 ,the vain young lady4 ,vanity
 always ridiculous4 ,the affected school
 girl4 ,the unaffected schoolgirl4      
,story of the proud girl4 ,moral        
courage4 ,the duellist4 ,the three      
school-boys4 ,george persuaded to throw 
the snow-ball4 ,what would have been    
real moral courage4 ,the boy leaving    
home1 ,his mother's provisions for his  
comfort4 ,the parting4 ,his father's    

counsel4 ,his reflections in the        
stage-coach4 ,he consecrates himself to 
his ,maker4 4 4#cdg      ,,the ,,child  
,,at ,,home      ,,chapter ,i4          
,,responsibility4    ,in large cities   
there are so many persons guilty of     
crimes1 that it is necessary to have a  
court sit every day to try those who are
 accused of breaking the laws4 ,this    
court is called the ,police ,court4 ,if 
you should go into the room where it is 
held1 you would see the constables      
bringing in one after another of        
miserable and wicked creatures1 and1    
after stating and proving their crimes1 
the judge would command them to be led  
away to prison4 ,they would look so     
wretched that you would be shocked in   
seeing them4  ,one morning a poor woman 
came into the ,police ,court in ,boston4
 ,her eyes were red with weeping1 and   
she seemed to be borne down with sorrow4
 ,behind her followed two men1 leading  
in her daughter4  ,here1 sir1 said a man
 to the judge1 is a girl who conducts so

 badly that her mother cannot live with 
her1 and she must be sent to the ,house 
of ,correction4  ,my good woman1 said   
the judge1 what is it that your daughter
 does which renders it so uncomfortable 
to live with her8  ,oh1 sir1 she        
replied1 it is hard for a mother to     
accuse her own daughter1 and to be the  
means of sending her to the prison4 ,but
 she conducts so as to destroy all the  
peace of my life4 ,she has such a       
temper1 that she sometimes threatens to 
kill me1 and does every thing to make my
 life wretched4  ,the unhappy woman     
could say no more4 ,her heart seemed    
bursting with grief1 and she wept aloud4
 ,the heart of the judge was moved with 
pity1 and the bystanders could hardly   
refrain from weeping with this afflicted
 mother4 ,but there stood the           
hard-hearted girl1 unmoved4 ,she looked 
upon the sorrows of her parent in sullen
 silence4 ,she was so hardened in sin1  
that she seemed perfectly insensible to 
pity or affection4 ,and yet she was     

miserable4 ,her countenance showed that 
passion and malignity filled her heart1 
and that the fear of the prison1 to     
which she knew she must go1 filled her  
with rage4  ,the judge turned from the  
afflicted mother1 whose sobs filled the 
room1 and1 asking a few questions of the
 witnesses1 who testified to the        
daughter's ingratitude and cruelty1     
ordered her to be led away to the ,house
 of ,correction4 ,the officers of       
justice took her by the arm1 and carried
 her to her gloomy cell4 ,her lonely and
 sorrowing mother went weeping home to  
her abode of penury and desolation4 ,her
 own daughter was the viper which had   
stung her bosom4 ,her own child was the 
wretch who was filling her heart with   
sorrow4  ,and while ,i now write1 this  
guilty daughter is occupying the gloomy 
cell of the prison1 and this widowed    
mother is in her silent dwelling1 in    
loneliness and grief6 ,oh1 could the    
child who reads these pages1 see that   
mother and that daughter now1 you might 

form some feeble idea of the            
consequences of disobedience2 you might 
see how unutterable the sorrow a wicked 
child may bring upon herself and upon   
her parents4 ,it is not easy1 in this   
case1 to judge which is the most        
unhappy1 the mother or the child4 ,the  
mother is broken-hearted at home4 ,she  
is alone and friendless4 ,all her hopes 
are most cruelly destroyed4 ,she loved  
her daughter1 and hoped that she would  
live to be her friend and comfort4 ,but 
instead of that1 she became her curse1  
and is bringing her mother's gray hairs 
in sorrow to the grave4 ,and then look  
at the daughter--guilty and             
abandoned--,oh1 who can tell how        
miserable she must be6  ,such is the    
grief which children may bring upon     
themselves and their parents4 ,you      
probably have never thought of this very
 much ,i write this book that you may   
think of it1 and that you may1 by       
obedience and affection1 make your      
parents happy1 and be happy yourselves4 

,this wicked girl was once a playful    
child1 innocent and happy4 ,her mother  
looked upon her with most ardent love1  
and hoped that her dear daughter would  
live to be her companion and friend4 ,at
 first she ventured to disobey in some  
trifling thing4 ,she still loved her    
mother1 and would have been struck with 
horror at the thought of being guilty of
 crimes which she afterwards committed4 
,but she went on from bad to worse1     
every day growing more disobedient1     
until she made her poor mother so       
miserable that she almost wished to die1
 and till she became so miserable       
herself1 that life must have been a     
burden4 ,you think1 perhaps1 that you   
never shall be so unkind and wicked as  
she finally became4 ,but if you begin as
 she began1 by trifling disobedience1   
and little acts of unkindness1 you may  
soon be as wicked as she1 and make your 
parents as unhappy as is her poor       
broken-hearted mother4  ,persons never  
become so very wicked all at once4 ,they

 go on from step to step1 in            
disobedience and ingratitude1 till they 
lose all feeling1 and can see their     
parents weep1 and even die in their     
grief1 without a tear4  ,perhaps1 one   
pleasant day1 this mother sent her      
little daughter to school4 ,she took her
 books1 and walked along1 admiring the  
beautiful sunshine1 and the green and   
pleasant fields4 ,she stopped one moment
 to pick a flower1 again to chase a     
butterfly1 and again to listen to a     
little robin1 pouring out its clear     
notes upon the bough of some lofty tree4
 ,it seemed so pleasant to be playing in
 the fields1 that she was unwilling to  
go promptly to school4 ,she thought it  
would not be very wrong to play a little
 while4 ,thus she commenced4 ,the next  
day she ventured to chase the           
butterflies farther1 and to rove more   
extensively through the field in search 
of flowers4 ,and as she played by the   
pebbles in the clear brook of rippling  
water1 she forgot how fast the time was 

passing4 ,and when she afterwards       
hastened to school1 and was asked why   
she was so late1 to conceal her fault   
she was guilty of falsehood1 and said   
that her mother wanted her at home4     
,thus she advanced1 rapidly in crime4   
,her lessons were neglected4 ,she loved 
the fields better than her book1 and    
would often spend the whole morning     
idle1 under the shade of some tree1 when
 her mother thought her safe in school4 
,having thus become a truant and a      
deceiver1 she was prepared for any      
crimes4 ,good children would not        
associate with her1 and consequently she
 had to choose the worst for her        
companions and her friends4 ,she learned
 wicked language2 she was rude and      
vulgar in her manners2 she indulged     
ungovernable passion2 and at last grew  
so bad1 that when her family afterwards 
removed to the city1 the ,house of      
,correction became her ignominious home4
 ,and there she is now1 guilty and      
wretched4 ,and her poor mother1 in her  

solitary dwelling1 is weeping over her  
daughter's disgrace4 ,who can comfort   
such a mother8 ,where is there any      
earthly joy to which she can look8      
,children generally do not think how    
much the happiness of their parents     
depends upon their conduct4 ,but you now
 see how very unhappy you can make them4
 ,and is there a child who reads this   
book1 who would be willing to be the    
cause of sorrow to his father and his   
mother8 ,after all they have done for   
you1 in taking care of you when an      
infant1 in watching over you when sick1 
in giving you clothes to wear1 and food 
to eat1 can you be so ungrateful as to  
make them unhappy8 ,you have all read   
the story of the kind man1 who found a  
viper lying upon the ground almost dead 
with cold4 ,he took it up and placed it 
in his bosom to warm it1 and to save its
 life4 ,and what did that viper do8 ,he 
killed his benefactor6 ,vile1 vile      
reptile6 ,yes6 as soon as he was warm   
and well1 he stung the bosom of his kind

 preserver1 and killed him4  ,but that  
child1 is a worse viper1 who1 by his    
ingratitude1 will sting the bosoms of   
his parents2 who1 by disobedience and   
unkindness1 will destroy their peace1   
and thus dreadfully repay them for all  
their love and care4 ,god will not      
forget the sins of such a child4 ,his   
eye will follow you to see your sin1 and
 his arm will reach you to punish4 ,he  
has said1 ,honor your father and your   
mother4 ,and the child who does not do  
this1 must meet with the displeasure of 
,god1 and must be for ever shut out from
 heaven4 ,oh1 how miserable must this   
wicked girl now be1 locked up in the    
gloomy prison6 ,but how much more       
miserable will she be when ,god calls   
her to account for all her sins6--when1 
in the presence of all the angels1 the  
whole of her conduct is brought to      
light1 and ,god says to her1 ,depart    
from me1 ye cursed6 ,as she goes away   
from the presence of the ,lord1 to the  
gloomy prisons of eternal despair1 she  

will then feel a degree of remorse which
 ,i cannot describe to you4 ,it is      
painful to think of it4 ,ah1 wretched1  
wretched girl6 ,little are you aware of 
the woes you are preparing for yourself4
 ,i hope that no child who reads these  
pages will ever feel these woes4  ,you  
have just read that it is in your power 
to make your parents very unhappy2 and  
you have seen how unhappy one wicked    
girl made her poor mother4 ,i might tell
 you many such melancholy stories1 all  
of which would be true4 ,a few years ago
 there was a boy who began to be        
disobedient to his parents in little    
things4 ,but every day he grew worse1   
more disobedient and wilful1 and        
troublesome4 ,he would run away from    
school1 and thus grew up in ignorance4  
,he associated with bad boys1 and       
learned to swear and to lie1 and to     
steal4 ,he became so bad that his       
parents could do nothing with him4      
,every body who knew him1 said1 ,that   
boy is preparing for the gallows4 ,he   

was the pest of the neighborhood4 ,at   
last he ran away from home1 without     
letting his parents know that he was    
going4 ,he had heard of the sea1 and    
thought it would be a very pleasant     
thing to be a sailor4 ,but nothing is   
pleasant to the wicked4 ,when he came to
 the sea-shore1 where there were a large
 number of ships1 it was some time      
before any one would hire him1 because  
he knew nothing about a ship or the sea4
 ,there was no one there who was his    
friend1 or who pitied him1 and he sat   
down and cried bitterly1 wishing he was 
at home again1 but ashamed to go back4  
,at last a sea captain came along1 and  
hired him to go on a distant voyage2 and
 as he knew nothing about the rigging of
 a vessel1 he was ordered to do the most
 servile work on board4 ,he swept the   
decks and the cabin1 and helped the     
cook1 and was the servant of all4 ,he   
had the poorest food to eat he ever ate 
in his life4 ,and when night came1 and  
he was so tired that he could hardly    

stand1 he had no soft bed upon which to 
lie1 but could only wrap a blanket      
around him1 and throw himself down any  
where to get a little sleep4 ,this      
unhappy boy had acquired so sour a      
disposition1 and was so disobliging1    
that all the sailors disliked him1 and  
would do every thing they could to teaze
 him4 ,when there was a storm1 and he   
was pale with fear1 and the vessel was  
rocking in the wind1 and pitching over  
the waves1 they would make him climb the
 mast1 and laugh to see how terrified he
 was1 as the mast reeled to and fro1 and
 the wind almost blew him into the      
raging ocean4 ,often did this poor boy  
get into some obscure part of the ship1 
and weep as he thought of the home he   
had forsaken4 ,he thought of his father 
and mother1 how kind they had been to   
him1 and how unkind and ungrateful he   
had been to them1 and how unhappy he had
 made them by his misconduct4 ,but these
 feelings soon wore away4 ,familiarity  
with sea life gave him courage1 and he  

became inured to its hardships4         
,constant intercourse with the most     
profligate and abandoned1 gave strength 
and inveteracy to his sinful habits2 and
 before the voyage had terminated1 he   
was reckless of danger1 and as hardened 
and unfeeling as the most depraved on   
board the ship4 ,this boy commenced with
 disobedience in little things1 and grew
 worse and worse1 till he forsook his   
father and his mother1 and was prepared 
for the abandonment of every virtue1 and
 the commission of any crime4 ,but the  
eye of ,god was upon him1 following him 
wherever he went1 and marking all his   
iniquities4 ,an hour of retribution was 
approaching4 ,it is not necessary for me
 to trace out to you his continued steps
 of progress in sin4 ,when on shore1 he 
passed his time in haunts of            
dissipation4 ,and several years rolled  
on in this way1 he growing more         
hardened1 and his aged parents1 in their
 loneliness1 weeping over the ruin of   
their guilty and wandering son4  ,one   

day an armed vessel sailed into one of  
the principal ports of the ,united      
,states1 accompanied by another1 which  
had been captured4 ,when they arrived at
 the wharf1 it was found that the vessel
 taken was a pirate4 ,multitudes flocked
 down upon the wharf to see the pirates 
as they should be led off to the prison1
 there to await their trial4 ,soon they 
were brought out of the ship1 with their
 hands fastened with chains1 and led    
through the streets4 ,ashamed to meet   
the looks of honest men1 and terrified  
with the certainty of condemnation and  
execution1 they walked along with       
downcast eyes and trembling limbs4      
,among the number was seen the unhappy  
and guilty boy1 now grown to be a young 
man1 whose history we are relating4 ,he 
was locked up in the dismal dungeon of a
 prison4 ,the day of trial came4 ,pale  
and trembling2 he was brought before the
 judge4 ,he was clearly proved guilty1  
and sentenced to be hung4 ,again he was 
carried back to his prison1 there to    

remain till the hour for his execution  
should arrive4 ,news was sent to his    
already broken-hearted parents1 that    
their son had been condemned as a       
pirate1 and was soon to be hung4 ,the   
tidings was almost too much for them to 
endure4 ,in an agony of feeling which   
cannot be described1 they wept together4
 ,they thought of the hours of their    
child's infancy1 when they watched over 
him in sickness1 and soothed him to     
sleep4 ,they thought how happy they felt
 when they saw the innocent smile play  
upon his childish cheek4 ,they thought  
of the joy they then anticipated in his 
opening years1 and of the comfort they  
hoped he would be to them in their      
declining days4 ,and now to think of    
him1 a hardened criminal1 in the        
murderer's cell6-- ,oh1 it was too much1
 too much for them to bear4 ,it seemed  
as though their hearts would burst4     
,little did they think1 when1 with so   
much affection they caressed their      
infant child1 that he would be the curse

 of their life1 embittering all their   
days1 and bringing down their gray hairs
 with sorrow to the grave4 ,little did  
they think1 that his first trifling acts
 of disobedience would lead on to such a
 career of misery and of crime1 ,but the
 son was sentenced to die1 and the      
penalty of the law could not be avoided4
 ,his own remorse and his parents' tears
 could be of no avail4 ,agonizing as it 
would be to their feelings1 they felt   
that they must go and see their son     
before he should die4  ,one morning1 a  
gray-headed man1 and an aged and infirm 
woman1 were seen walking along1 with    
faltering footsteps1 through the street 
which led to the prison4 ,it was the    
heart-broken father and mother of this  
unnatural child4 ,when they came in     
sight of the gloomy granite walls and   
iron-grated windows of this dreary      
abode1 they could hardly proceed1 so    
overwhelming were the feelings which    
pressed upon their minds4 ,when arrived 
at the door of the prison1 the aged     

father1 supporting upon his arm the     
weeping and almost fainting mother1 told
 the jailer who they were1 and requested
 permission to see their son4 ,even the 
jailer1 accustomed as he was to scenes  
of suffering1 could not witness this    
exhibition of parental grief without    
being moved to tears4 ,he led the       
parents through the stone galleries of  
the prison1 till they came to the iron  
door of the cell in which their son was 
confined4 ,as he turned the key with all
 his strength1 the heavy bolt flew back1
 and he opened the door of the cell4    
,oh1 what a sight for a father and a    
mother to gaze upon6 ,there was just    
enough light in this gloomy abode to    
show them their son1 sitting in the     
corner on the stone floor1 pale and     
emaciated1 and loaded with chains4 ,the 
moment the father beheld the pallid     
features of his long-absent son1 he     
raised his hands in the agony of his    
feelings1 and fell fainting at his feet4
 ,the mother burst into loud            

exclamations of grief1 as she clasped   
her son1 guilty and wretched as he was1 
to her maternal bosom4 ,oh1 who can     
describe this scene6 ,who can conceive  
the anguish which wrung the hearts of   
these afflicted parents6 ,and it was    
their own boy1 whom they had loved and  
cherished1 who had brought all this wo  
upon them4 ,i cannot describe to you the
 scene which ensued4 ,even the very     
jailer could not bear it1 and he wept   
aloud4 ,at last he was compelled to tear
 the parents away2 and it was agonizing 
indeed to leave their son in such a     
situation1 soon to be led to an         
ignominious death4 ,they would gladly   
have staid and died with their guilty   
child4 ,but it was necessary that they  
should depart2 and1 the jailer having   
closed the door and turned the massive  
bolt1 they left the unhappy criminal in 
his cell4 ,oh1 what would he have given1
 again to be innocent and free6 ,the    
parents returned to their home1 to weep 
by day and by night1 and to have the    

image of their guilty son disturbing    
every moment of peace1 and preventing   
the possibility of joy4 ,the day of     
execution soon arrived1 and their son   
was led to the gallows1 and launched    
into eternity4 ,and1 crimsoned with     
guilt1 he went to the bar of ,god1 there
 to answer for all the crimes of which  
he had been guilty1 and for all the woes
 he had caused4  ,you see1 then1 how    
great are your responsibilities as a    
child4 ,you have thought1 perhaps1 that 
you have no power over your parents1 and
 that you are not accountable for the   
sorrow which your conduct may cause     
them4 ,think you that ,god will hold    
this child guiltless for all the sorrow 
he caused his father and his mother8    
,and think you ,god will hold any child 
guiltless1 who shall1 by his misconduct1
 make his parents unhappy8 ,no4 ,you    
must answer to ,god for every thing you 
do1 which gives your parents pain4 ,and 
there is no sin greater in the sight of 
,god than that of an ungrateful child1  

,i have shown you1 in the two           
illustrations which you have just read1 
how much the happiness of your parents  
depends upon your conduct4 ,every day   
you are promoting their joy or their    
sorrow4 ,and every act of disobedience1 
or of ingratitude1 however trifling it  
may appear to you1 is1 in the eyes of   
your ,maker1 a sin which cannot pass    
unnoticed4 ,do you ask1 ,why does ,god  
consider the ingratitude of children as 
a sin of peculiar aggravation8 ,i reply1
 ,because you are under peculiar        
obligation to love and obey your        
parents4 ,they have loved you when you  
could not love them4 ,they have taken   
care of you when you could not reward   
them4 ,they have passed sleepless nights
 in listening to your cries1 and weary  
days in watching over you1 when you     
could neither express thanks nor feel   
grateful4 ,and after they have done all 
this1 is it a small sin for you to      
disobey them and make them unhappy8     
,and indeed you can do nothing to make  

yourself so unhappy as to indulge in    
disobedience1 and to cherish a spirit of
 ingratitude4 ,you never see such a     
child happy4 ,look at him at home1 and1 
instead of being light-hearted and      
cheerful1 he is sullen and morose4 ,he  
sits down by the fireside in a winter   
evening1 but the evening fireside       
affords no joy to him4 ,he knows that   
his parents are grieved at his conduct4 
,he loves nobody1 and feels that nobody 
loves him4 ,there he sits silent and    
sad1 making himself miserable by his own
 misconduct4 ,the disobedient boy or    
girl is always unhappy4 ,you know how   
different the dispositions of children  
are4 ,some are always pleasant and      
obliging1 and you love their company4   
,they seem happy when they are with you1
 and they make you happy4 ,now you will 
almost always find1 that such children  
are obedient to their parents4 ,they are
 happy at home1 as well as abroad4 ,god 
has in almost every case connected      
enjoyment with duty1 and sorrow with    

sin4 ,but in no case is this connection 
more intimate1 than in the duty which   
children owe their parents4 ,and to     
every child who reads this book1 ,i     
would say1 ,if you wish to be happy1 you
 must be good4 ,do remember this4 ,let  
no temptation induce you for a moment to
 disobey4 ,the more ardently you love   
your parents1 the more ardently will    
they love you4 ,but if you are          
ungrateful and disobedient1 childhood   
will pass away in sorrow2 all the       
virtuous will dislike you1 and you will 
have no friends worth possessing4 ,when 
you arrive at mature age1 and enter upon
 the active duty of life1 you will have 
acquired those feelings which will      
deprive you of the affection of your    
fellow beings1 and you will probably go 
through the world unbeloved and         
unrespected4 ,can you be willing so to  
live8  ,the following account1 written  
by one who1 many years after her        
mother's death1 visited her grave1      
forcibly describes the feelings which   

the remembrance of the most trifling act
 of ingratitude will1 under such        
circumstances1 awaken4  ,it was thirteen
 years since my mother's death1 when1   
after a long absence from my native     
village1 ,i stood beside the sacred     
mound1 beneath which ,i had seen her    
buried4 ,since that mournful period1 a  
great change had come over me4 ,my      
childish years had passed away1 and with
 them my youthful character4 ,the world 
was altered too2 and as ,i stood at my  
mother's grave1 ,i could hardly realize1
 that ,i was the same thoughtless1 happy
 creature1 whose cheeks she so often    
kissed in an excess of tenderness4 ,but 
the varied events of thirteen years had 
not effaced the remembrance of that     
mother's smile4 ,it seemed as if ,i had 
seen her but yesterday--as the blessed  
sound of her well- remembered voice was 
in my ear4 ,the gay dreams of my infancy
 and childhood were brought back so     
distinctly to my mind1 that1 had it not 
been for one bitter recollection1 the   

tears ,i shed would have been gentle and
 refreshing4 ,the circumstance may seem 
a trifling one1 but the thought of it   
now pains my heart1 and ,i relate it1   
that those children who have parents to 
love them may learn to value them as    
they ought4  ,my mother had been ill a  
long time1 and ,i became so accustomed  
to her pale face and weak voice1 that ,i
 was not frightened at them1 as children
 usually are4 ,at first1 it is true1 ,i 
sobbed violently2 but when1 day after   
day1 ,i returned from school1 and found 
her the same1 ,i began to believe she   
would always be spared to me4 ,but they 
told me she would die4  ,one day1 when  
,i had lost my place in the class1 and  
had done my work wrong side outward1 ,i 
came home discouraged and fretful4 ,i   
went to my mother's chamber4 ,she was   
paler than usual1 but she met me with   
the same affectionate smile that always 
welcomed my return4 ,alas1 when ,i look 
back through the lapse of thirteen      
years1 ,i think my heart must have been 

stone not to have melted by it4 ,she    
requested me to go down stairs and bring
 her a glass of water4 ,i pettishly     
asked why she did not call a domestic to
 do it4 ,with a look of mild reproach1  
which ,i shall never forget1 if ,i live 
to be a hundred years old1 she said1    
',and will not my daughter bring a glass
 of water for her poor sick mother8'  ,i
 went and brought her the water1 but ,i 
did not do it kindly4 ,instead of       
smiling and kissing her1 as ,i was wont 
to do1 ,i set the glass down very       
quickly1 and left the room4 ,after      
playing about a short time1 ,i went to  
bed without bidding my mother good      
night4 ,but when alone in my room1 in   
darkness and in silence1 ,i remembered  
how pale she looked1 and how her voice  
trembled when she said1 ',will not my   
daughter bring a glass of water for her 
poor sick mother8' ,i could not1 sleep4 
,i stole into her chamber to ask        
forgiveness4 ,she had sunk into an easy 
slumber1 and they told me ,i must not   

waken her4 ,i did not tell any one what 
troubled me1 but stole back to my bed1  
resolved to rise early in the morning1  
and tell her how sorry ,i was for my    
conduct4    ,the sun was shining        
brightly when ,i awoke3 and1 hurrying on
 my clothes1 ,i hastened to my mother's 
chamber4 ,she was dead6 ,she never spoke
 more--never smiled upon me again and   
when ,i touched the hand that used to   
rest upon my head in blessing1 it was so
 cold that it made me start4 ,i bowed   
down by her side1 and sobbed in the     
bitterness of my heart4 ,i thought then 
,i might wish to die1 and be buried with
 her1 and1 old as ,i now am1 ,i would   
give worlds1 were they mine to give1    
could my mother but have lived to tell  
me that she forgave my childish         
ingratitude4 ,but ,i cannot call her    
back2 and when ,i stand by her grave1   
and whenever ,i think of her manifold   
kindness1 the memory of that reproachful
 look she gave me will bite like a      
serpent and sting like an adder4  ,and  

when your mother dies1 do you not think 
that you will feel remorse for every    
unkind word you have uttered1 and for   
every act of ingratitude8 ,your beloved 
parents must soon die4 ,you will        
probably be led into their darkened     
chamber1 to see them pale and helpless  
on their dying bed4 ,oh1 how will you   
feel in that solemn hour6 ,all your past
 life will come to your mind1 and you   
will think that you would give worlds1  
if you could blot out the remembrance of
 past ingratitude4 ,you will think that1
 if your father or mother should only   
get well1 you would never do any thing  
to grieve them again4 ,but the hour for 
them to die must come4 ,you may weep as 
though your heart would break1 but it   
will not recall the past1 and it will   
not delay their death4 ,they must die2  
and you will probably gaze upon their   
cold and lifeless countenances in the   
coffin4 ,you will follow them to the    
grave1 and see them buried for ever from
 your sight4 ,oh1 how unhappy you will  

feel1 if you then have to reflect upon  
your misconduct6 ,the tears you will    
shed over their graves will be the more 
bitter1 because you will feel that1     
perhaps1 your own misconduct hastened   
their death4  ,but perhaps you will die 
before your parents do4 ,if you go into 
the grave-yard1 you will see the graves 
of many children4 ,you know that the    
young are liable to die1 as well as the 
old4 ,and what must be the feelings of  
the dying child1 who knows that he is   
going to appear before ,god in judgment1
 and yet feels conscious that he has    
been unkind to his parents6 ,oh1 such a 
child must fear to go into the presence 
of his ,maker4 ,he must know that ,god  
will never receive into heaven children 
who have been so wicked4 ,i have seen   
many children die4 ,and ,i have seen    
some1 who had been very amiable and     
pleasant all their lives1 when they came
 to die1 feel grieved that they had not 
been more careful to make their parents 
happy4 ,i knew one affectionate little  

girl1 who was loved by all who knew her4
 ,she hardly ever did any thing which   
was displeasing to her parents4 ,but one
 day she was taken sick4 ,the doctor was
 called3 but she grew worse and worse4  
,her parents watched over her with      
anxiety and tears1 but still her fever  
raged1 and death drew nearer4 ,at last  
all hopes of her recovery were over1 and
 it was known that she must die4 ,then  
did this little girl1 when she felt that
 she must leave her parents for ever1   
mourn that she had ever done any thing  
to give them pain4 ,the most trifling   
act of disobedience1 and the least      
unkindness of which she had ever been   
guilty1 then came fresh into her mind1  
and she could not die in peace1 till she
 had called her father and her mother to
 her bedside1 and implored their        
forgiveness4 ,if so obliging and        
affectionate a little girl as this felt 
so deeply in view of the past1 when     
called upon to die1 how agonizing must  
be the feelings which will crowd upon   

the heart of the wicked and disobedient 
child who has filled her parents' heart 
with sorrow6  ,but you must also        
remember1 that there is a day of        
judgment to come4 ,you must appear      
before ,god to answer for every thing   
you have done or thought while in this  
world4 ,oh1 how will the ungrateful     
child then feel6 ,heaven will be before 
him1 in all its beauty and bliss1 but he
 cannot enter4   ,those holy gates for  
ever bar ,pollution1 sin and shame4     
,he has1 by his ingratitude1 made a home
 on earth unhappy1 and ,god will not    
permit him to destroy the happiness of  
the homes in heaven4  ,he will see all  
the angels in their holiness and their  
joy1 but he cannot be permitted to join 
that blessed throng4 ,with his          
ungrateful heart he would but destroy   
their enjoyment4 ,the frown of ,god must
 be upon him1 and he must depart to that
 wretched world where all the wicked are
 assembled4 ,there he must live in      
sorrows which have no end4 ,oh1         

children1 how great are your            
responsibilities6 ,the happiness of your
 parents depends upon your conduct4 ,and
 your ingratitude may fill your lives   
with sorrow1 and your eternity with wo4 
,will you not1 then1 read this book with
 care1 and pray that ,god will aid you  
to obey its directions1 that your homes 
on earth may be joyful1 and that you may
 be prepared for happier homes beyond   
the stars8    ,,chapter ,,ii4           
,,deception4    ,probably nearly all who
 read this book have heard the story of 
,george ,washington and his hatchet4    
,george1 when a little boy1 had received
 from his father a hatchet1 and he1 much
 pleased with his present1 walked around
 the house trying its keen edge upon    
every thing which came within his reach4
 ,at last he came to a favorite         
pear-tree of his father's1 and began1   
with great dexterity1 to try his skill  
in felling trees4 ,after hacking upon   
the bark until he had completely ruined 
the tree1 he became tired1 and went into

 the house4 ,before long1 his father1   
passing by1 beheld his beautiful tree   
entirely ruined2 and1 entering the      
house1 he earnestly asked who had been  
guilty of the destruction4 ,for a moment
 ,george trembled and hesitated4 ,he was
 strongly tempted to deny that he knew  
any thing about it4 ,but summoning all  
his courage1 he replied1 ,father1 ,i    
cannot tell a lie4 ,i cut it with my    
hatchet4 ,his father clasped him to his 
arms1 and said1 ,my dear boy1 ,i would  
rather lose a thousand trees than have  
my son a liar4  ,this little anecdote   
shows that ,george ,washington1 when a  
boy1 was too brave and noble to tell a  
lie4 ,he had rather be punished than be 
so mean and degraded as to utter a      
falsehood4 ,he did wrong to cut the     
pear-tree1 though1 perhaps1 he did not  
know the extent of the injury he was    
doing4 ,but had he denied that he did   
it1 he would have been a cowardly and   
disgraceful liar4 ,his father would have
 been ashamed of him1 and would never   

have known when to believe him4 ,if     
little ,george ,washington had told a   
lie then1 it is by no means improbable  
that he would have gone on from         
falsehood to falsehood1 till every body 
would have despised him4 ,and he would  
thus have become a disgrace to his      
parents and friends1 instead of a       
blessing to his country and the world4  
,no boy1 who has one particle of that   
noble spirit which ,george ,washington  
had1 will tell a lie4 ,it is one of the 
most degrading of sins4 ,there is no one
 who does not regard a liar with        
contempt4 ,almost always1 when a lie is 
told1 two sins are committed4 ,the first
 is1 the child has done something which 
he knows to be wrong4 ,and the second   
is1 that he has not courage enough to   
admit it1 and tells a lie to hide his   
fault4 ,and therefore1 when a child     
tells a lie1 you may always know that   
that child is a coward4 ,george         
,washington was a brave man4 ,when duty 
called him1 he feared not to meet danger

 and death4 ,he would march to the mouth
 of the cannon in the hour of battle2 he
 would ride through the field when      
bullets were flying in every direction1 
and strewing the ground with the dead1  
and not a nerve would tremble4 ,now1 we 
see that ,george ,washington was brave  
when a boy1 as well as when a man4 ,he  
scorned to tell a lie1 and1 like a      
noble-hearted boy1 as he was1 he        
honestly avowed the truth4 ,every body  
admires courage1 and every body despises
 cowardice4 ,the liar1 whether he be a  
boy or a man1 is looked upon with       
disgust4  ,cases will occur in which you
 will be strongly tempted to say that   
which is false4 ,but if you yield to the
 temptation1 how can you help despising 
yourself8 ,a little girl once came into 
the house and told her mother something 
which was very improbable4 ,those who   
were sitting in the room with her mother
 did not believe her1 for they did not  
know the character of the little girl4  
,but the mother replied at once1 ,i have

 no doubt that it is true1 for ,i never 
knew my daughter to tell a lie4 ,is     
there not something noble in having such
 a character as this8 ,must not that    
little girl have felt happy in the      
consciousness of thus possessing her    
mother's entire confidence8 ,oh1 how    
different must have been her feelings   
from those of the child whose word      
cannot be believed1 and who is regarded 
by every one with suspicion6 ,shame1    
shame on the child who has not          
magnanimity enough to tell the truth4   
,god will not allow such sins to go     
unpunished4 ,even in this world the     
consequences are generally felt4 ,god   
has given every person a conscience1    
which approves that which is right1 and 
condemns that which is wrong4 ,when we  
do any thing wrong1 our consciences     
punish us for it1 and we are unhappy4   
,when we do any thing that is right1 the
 approval of conscience is a reward4    
,every day you feel the power of this   
conscience approving or condemning what 

you do4 ,sometimes a person thinks that 
if he does wrong1 and it is not found   
out1 he will escape punishment4 ,but it 
is not so4 ,he will be punished whether 
it is found out or not4 ,conscience will
 punish him if no one else does4  ,there
 was once a boy whose father sent him to
 ride a few miles upon an errand1 and   
told him particularly not to stop by the
 way4 ,it was a beautiful and sunny     
morning in the spring2 and as he rode   
along by the green fields1 and heard the
 singing of the birds as they flew from 
tree to tree1 he felt as light-hearted  
and as happy as they4 ,after doing his  
errand1 however1 as he was returning by 
the house where two of his friends and  
playmates lived1 he thought he could not
 resist the temptation just to call a   
moment to see them4 ,he thought there   
would be no great harm if he merely     
stopped a minute or two1 and his parents
 would never know it4 ,here commenced   
his sin4 ,he stopped1 and was led to    
remain longer and longer1 till he found 

he had passed two hours in play4 ,then1 
with a troubled conscience1 he mounted  
his horse1 and set his face towards     
home4 ,the fields looked as green1 and  
the skies as bright and cloudless1 as   
when he rode along in the morning2 but1 
oh1 how different were his feelings6    
,then he was innocent and happy2 now he 
was guilty and wretched4 ,he tried to   
feel easy1 but he could not2 conscience 
reproached him with his sin4 ,he rode   
sadly along1 thinking what excuse he    
should make to his parents for his long 
absence1 when he saw his father1 at a   
distance1 coming to meet him4 ,his      
father1 fearing that some accident had  
happened1 left home in search of his    
son4 ,the boy trembled and turned pale  
as he saw him approaching1 and hesitated
 whether he had better confess the truth
 at once1 and ask forgiveness1 or       
endeavor to hide the crime with a lie4  
,oh1 how much better it would have been 
for him if he had acknowledged the      
truth6 ,how much sooner would he have   

been restored to peace6 ,but one sin    
almost always leads to another4 ,when   
this kind father met his son with a     
smile1 the boy said1 ,father1 ,i lost   
the road1 and it took me some time to   
get back again1 and that is the reason  
why ,i have been gone so long4  ,his    
father had never known him to be guilty 
of falsehood before1 and was so happy to
 find his son safe1 that he did not     
doubt what he said was true4 ,but1 oh1  
how guilty1 and ashamed1 and wretched1  
did that boy feel1 as he rode along6    
,his peace of mind was destroyed4 ,a    
heavy weight of conscious guilt pressed 
upon his heart4 ,the boy went home and  
repeated the lie to his mother4 ,it is  
always thus when we turn from the path  
of duty2 we know not how widely we shall
 wander4 ,having committed one fault1 he
 told a lie to conceal it1 and then     
added sin to sin1 by repeating and      
persisting in his falsehood4 ,what a    
change had one short half day produced  
in the character and the happiness of   

this child6 ,his parent had not yet     
detected him in his sin1 but he was not1
 on that account1 free from punishment4 
,conscience was at work1 telling him    
that he was degraded and guilty1 ,his   
look of innocence and his lightness of  
heart had left him4 ,he was ashamed to  
look his father or mother in the face4  
,he tried to appear easy and happy1 but 
he was uneasy and miserable4 ,a heavy   
load of conscious guilt rested upon him1
 which destroyed all his peace4  ,when  
he retired to bed that night1 he feared 
the dark4 ,it was long before he could  
quiet his troubled spirit with sleep4   
,and when he awoke in the morning1 the  
consciousness of his guilt had not      
forsaken him4 ,there it remained fixed  
deep in his heart1 and would allow him  
no peace4 ,he was guilty1 and of course 
wretched4 ,the first thought which      
occurred to him1 on waking1 was the lie 
of the preceding day4 ,he could not     
forget it4 ,he was afraid to go into the
 room where his parents were1 lest they 

should discover1 by his appearance1 that
 he had been doing something wrong4 ,and
 though1 as weeks passed away1 the      
acuteness of his feelings in some degree
 abated1 he was all the time disquieted 
and unhappy4 ,he was continually fearing
 that something would occur which should
 lead to his detection4  ,thus things   
went on for several weeks1 till1 one    
day1 the gentleman at whose house he    
stopped called at his father's on       
business4 ,so soon as this boy saw him  
come into the house1 his heart beat     
violently1 and he turned pale with the  
fear that something would be said that  
would bring the whole truth to light4   
,the gentleman1 after conversing a few  
moments with his father1 turned to the  
little boy1 and said1 ,well1 how did you
 get home the other day8 ,my boys had a 
very pleasant visit from you4 ,can you  
imagine how the boy felt8 ,you could    
almost have heard his heart beat4 ,the  
blood rushed into his face1 and he could
 not speak2 and he dared not raise his  

eyes from the floor4 ,the gentleman then
 turned to his parents1 and said1 ,you  
must let your son come up again and see 
my boys4 ,they were quite disappointed  
when he was there a few weeks ago1 for  
he only staid about two hours1 and they 
hoped he had come to spend the whole day
 with them4 ,there1 the whole truth was 
out4 ,and how do you suppose that boy   
felt8 ,he had disobeyed his parents2    
told a lie to conceal it2 had for weeks 
suffered the pangs of a guilty          
conscience2 and now the whole truth was 
discovered4 ,he stood before his parents
 overwhelmed with shame1 convicted of   
disobedience1 and mean1 degraded        
falsehood4  ,this boy was all the time  
suffering the consequences of his sin4  
,for many days he was enduring the      
reproaches of conscience1 when the      
knowledge of his crime was confined to  
his own bosom4 ,how bitterly did he     
suffer for the few moments of forbidden 
pleasure he had enjoyed6 ,the way of the
 transgressor is always hard4 ,every    

child who does wrong must1 to a greater 
or less degree1 feel the same sorrows4  
,this guilty child1 overwhelmed with    
confusion and disgrace1 burst into      
tears1 and implored his parents'        
forgiveness4 ,but he was told by his    
parents that he had sinned1 not only    
against them1 but against ,god4 ,the    
humble child went to ,god in penitence  
and in prayer4 ,he made a full          
confession of all to his parents1 and   
obtained their forgiveness2 and it was  
not till then that peace of mind was    
restored4  ,will not the child who reads
 this account take warning from it8 ,if 
you have done wrong1 you had better     
confess it at once4 ,falsehood will but 
increase your sin1 and aggravate your   
sorrow4 ,whenever you are tempted to say
 that which is untrue1 look forward to  
the consequences4 ,think how much       
sorrow1 and shame1 and sin1 you will    
bring upon yourself4 ,think of the      
reproaches of conscience2 for you may   
depend upon it1 that those reproaches   

are not easily borne4  ,and is it       
pleasant to have the reputation of a    
liar8 ,when persons are detected in one 
falsehood1 they cannot be believed when 
they speak the truth4 ,no person can    
place any more confidence in them till a
 long time of penitence has elapsed1 in 
which they have had an opportunity to   
manifest their amendment4 ,the little   
boy1 whose case we have above alluded   
to1 was sincerely penitent for his sin4 
,he resolved that he never would tell   
another lie4 ,but since he had deceived 
his parents once1 their confidence in   
him was necessarily for a time          
destroyed4 ,they could judge of the     
reality of his penitence only by his    
future conduct4 ,one day he was sent to 
a store to purchase some small articles 
for his mother4 ,in his haste1 he forgot
 to stop for the few cents of change    
which he ought to have received4 ,upon  
his return home1 his mother inquired for
 the change4 ,he had not thought a word 
about it before1 and very frankly told  

her1 that he had forgotten it entirely4 
,how did his mother know that he was    
telling the truth8 ,she had just        
detected him in one lie1 and feared that
 he was now telling her another4 ,i     
hope1 my dear son1 she said1 you are not
 again deceiving me4 ,the boy was       
perfectly honest this time1 and his     
parents had never before distrusted his 
word4 ,it almost broke his heart to be  
thus suspected1 but he felt that it was 
just1 and went to his chamber and wept  
bitterly4 ,these are the necessary      
consequences of falsehood4 ,a liar can  
never be believed4 ,it matters not      
whether he tells truth or falsehood1 no 
one can trust his word4 ,if you are ever
 tempted to tell a lie1 first ask       
yourself whether you are willing to have
 it said that nobody can trust your     
word4 ,the liar is always known to be   
such4 ,a person may possibly tell a lie 
which shall not be detected1 but1 almost
 always something happens which brings  
it to light4 ,the boy who stopped to    

play when on an errand two miles from   
his father's house1 thought that his    
falsehood would never be discovered4    
,but he was detected1 and overwhelmed   
with shame4  ,it is impossible for a    
person who is in the habit of uttering  
untruths to escape detection4 ,your     
character for truth or falsehood will be
 known4 ,and what can be more           
humiliating and degrading than to have  
the name of a liar8 ,it is so considered
 in all nations and with all people4 ,it
 is considered one of the meanest and   
most cowardly vices of which one can be 
guilty4 ,the liar is always a coward4   
,he tells lies1 because he is afraid to 
tell the truth4  ,and how do you suppose
 the liar must feel when he comes to    
die8 ,it is a solemn hour4 ,perhaps many
 of the children who read this book have
 never seen a person die4 ,i have seen  
many4 ,i have seen children of all ages 
dressed in the shroud and placed in the 
coffin4 ,i might write pages in         
describing to you such scenes4 ,one day1

 ,i went to see a little girl about ten 
years of age1 who was very sick4 ,when  
,i went into the room1 she was lying    
upon the little cot-bed1 her lips       
parched with fever1 and her face pale   
and emaciated with suffering4 ,her      
mother was standing by her bed-side1    
weeping as though her heart would break4
 ,other friends were standing around1   
looking in vain for something to do to  
relieve the little sufferer4 ,i went and
 took her by the hand1 and found that   
she was dying4 ,she raised her languid  
eyes to me1 but could not speak4 ,her   
breathing grew fainter and fainter4 ,her
 arms and limbs grew cold4 ,we could    
only look mournfully on and see the     
advances of death1 without being able to
 do any thing to stop its progress4 ,at 
last she ceased to breathe4 ,her spirit 
ascended to ,god to be judged1 and her  
body remained upon the bed1 a cold and  
lifeless corpse4 ,all children are      
exposed to death2 and when you least    
expect it1 you may be called to lie upon

 a bed of sickness1 and go down to the  
grave4 ,there is nothing to give one joy
 in such an hour1 but a belief that our 
sins are forgiven1 and that we are going
 to the heavenly home4 ,but how must a  
child feel in such an hour1 when        
reflecting upon falsehoods which are    
recorded in ,god's book of remembrance6 
,death is terrible to the impenitent    
sinner2 but it is a messenger of love   
and of mercy to those who are prepared  
to die4 ,if you have been guilty of a   
falsehood1 you cannot1 die in peace till
 you have repented and obtained         
forgiveness4  ,there was a little girl  
eleven years of age1 who died a few     
months ago4 ,she loved the ,savior1 and 
when told that she could not live1 was  
very happy4 ,she said she was happy to  
die1 and go home and be with her ,savior
 and the angels in heaven4 ,but there   
was one thing1 which1 for a time1       
weighed heavily upon her mind4 ,a year  
or two before she felt interested in    
religion she had told a lie to her aunt2

 and she could not die in peace1 till   
she had seen that aunt1 confessed her   
sin1 and asked forgiveness4 ,her aunt   
was sent for1 though she was many miles 
distant4 ,when her aunt came1 the sick  
little girl1 with sorrow for her fault1 
made confession1 and asked forgiveness1 
,aunt1 said she1 ,i have prayed to ,god1
 and hope that he has forgiven me2 and  
,i cannot die in peace till ,i have     
obtained your forgiveness4 ,if any child
 who reads this book is tempted to      
deceive his parents or his friends1 ,i  
hope he will remember that he must soon 
die1 and think how he will feel in that 
solemn hour4  ,but perhaps you think    
that the falsehood of which this girl   
was guilty was one of peculiar          
aggravation4 ,it was simply this3 ,she  
was one day playing in the room with    
several little children1 and was making 
them laugh very loud4 ,her aunt said1   
,my dear1 you must not make them laugh  
so loud4  ,and she replied1 ,it is not  
,i1 aunt1 who makes them laugh4  ,this  

was the falsehood she uttered4 ,and     
though her aunt did not know that it was
 false1 the little girl did1 and ,god in
 heaven did4 ,and when she came to die1 
though it was a year or two after1 her  
soul was troubled1 and the consciousness
 of her sin destroyed her peace4 ,a lie 
is1 in the sight of ,god1 a dreadful    
sin1 be it ever so trifling in our      
estimation4 ,when we are just ready to  
leave the world1 and to appear before   
,god in judgment1 the convictions of a  
guilty conscience will press upon the   
heart like lead4  ,there are many ways  
of being guilty of falsehood without    
uttering the lie direct in words4       
,whenever you try to deceive your       
parents1 in doing  that which you know  
they disapprove1 you do1 in reality1    
tell a lie4 ,conscience reproves you for
 falsehood4 ,once1 when ,i was in       
company1 as the plate of cake was passed
 round1 a little boy1 who sat by the    
side of his mother1 took a much larger  
piece than he knew she would allow him  

to have4 ,she happened1 for the moment1 
to be looking away1 and he broke a small
 piece off and covered the rest in his  
lap with his handkerchief4 ,when his    
mother looked1 she saw the small piece1 
and supposed he had taken no more4 ,he  
intended to deceive her4 ,his mother has
 never found out what he did4 ,but ,god 
saw him1 and frowned upon him1 as he    
committed this sin4 ,and do you not     
think that the boy has already suffered 
for it8 ,must he not feel mean and      
contemptible whenever he thinks that1   
merely to get a little bit of cake1 he  
would deceive his kind mother8 ,if that 
little boy had one particle of honorable
 or generous feeling remaining in his   
bosom1 he would feel reproached and     
unhappy whenever he thought of his      
meanness4 ,if he was already dead to    
shame1 it would show that he had by     
previous deceit acquired this character4
 ,and can any one love or esteem a child
 who has become so degraded8 ,and can a 
child1 who is neither beloved nor       

respected1 be happy8 ,no6 ,you may      
depend upon it1 that when you see a     
person guilty of such deceit1 he does in
 some way or other1 even in this world1 
suffer a severe penalty4 ,a frank and   
open-hearted child is the only happy    
child4 ,deception1 however skilfully it 
may be practised1 is disgraceful1 and   
ensures sorrow and contempt4 ,if you    
would have the approbation of your own  
conscience1 and the approval of friends1
 never do that which you shall desire to
 have concealed4 ,always be open as the 
day4 ,be above deceit1 and then you will
 have nothing to fear4 ,there is        
something delightful in the magnanimity 
of a perfectly sincere and honest child4
 ,no person can look upon such a one    
without affection4 ,you are sure of     
friends1 and your prospects of earthly  
usefulness and happiness are bright4    
,but we must not forget that there is a 
day of most solemn judgment near at     
hand4 ,when you die1 your body will be  
wrapped in the shroud1 and placed in the

 coffin1 and buried in the grave2 and   
there it will remain and moulder to the 
dust1 while the snows of unnumbered     
winters1 and the tempests of unnumbered 
summers1 shall rest upon the cold earth 
which covers you4 ,but your spirit will 
not be there4 ,far away1 beyond the     
cloudless skies1 and blazing suns1 and  
twinkling stars1 it will have gone to   
judgment4 ,how awful must be the scene  
which will open before you1 as you enter
 the eternal world6 ,you will see the   
throne of ,god3 how bright1 how         
glorious1 will it burst upon your sight6
 ,you will see ,god the ,savior seated  
upon that majestic throne4 ,angels1 in  
numbers more than can be counted1 will  
fill the universe with their glittering 
wings1 and their rapturous songs4 ,oh1  
what a scene to behold6 ,and then you   
will stand in the presence of this      
countless throng to answer for every    
thing you have done while you lived4    
,every action and every thought of your 
life will then be fresh in your mind4   

,you know it is written in the ,bible1  
,god will bring every work into         
judgment1 with every secret thing1      
whether it be good or whether it be     
evil4 ,how must the child then feel who 
has been guilty of falsehood and        
deception1 and has it then all brought  
to light6 ,no liar can enter the kingdom
 of heaven4 ,oh1 how dreadful must be   
the confusion and shame with which the  
deceitful child will then be            
overwhelmed6 ,the angels will all see   
your sin and your disgrace4 ,and do you 
think they will wish to have a liar     
enter heaven1 to be associated with     
them8 ,no6 ,they must turn from you with
 disgust4 ,the ,savior will look upon   
you in his displeasure4 ,conscience will
 rend your soul4 ,and you must hear the 
awful sentence1 ,depart from me1 into   
everlasting fire1 prepared for the devil
 and his angels4 ,oh1 it is a dreadful  
thing to practice deceit4 ,it will shut 
you from heaven4 ,it will confine you in
 eternal wo4 ,though you should escape  

detection as long as you live2 though   
you should die1 and your falsehood not  
be discovered1 the time will soon come  
when it will all be brought to light1   
and when the whole universe of men and  
of angels will be witnesses of your     
shame4 ,if any child who reads this     
feels condemned for past deception1 oh1 
beware1 and do not postpone repentance  
till the day of judgment shall arrive4  
,go at once to those whom you have      
deceived1 and make confession1 and      
implore forgiveness4 ,then go to your   
,savior1 fall upon your knees before    
him2 pray that he will pardon you1 and  
promise to sin no more4 ,if your prayer 
is offered in sincerity1 and your       
resolution remains unbroken1 the ,savior
 will forgive you2 and when the trump of
 the archangel shall summon you to      
judgment1 he will give you a home in    
heaven4 ,the tear of sincere penitence  
our kind ,saviour is ever ready to      
accept4  ,if you are ever tempted to    
deceive1 ,o1 remember1 that your        

deception must soon be known4 ,it is    
utterly impossible that it should long  
remain undetected4 ,the moment the day  
of judgment arrives1 your heart will be 
open to the view of the universe1 and   
every thought will be publicly known4   
,how much safer then is it to be sincere
 and honest6 ,strive to preserve your   
heart free from guile4 ,then you will   
have peace of conscience4 ,you will fear
 no detection4 ,you can lie down at     
night in peace4 ,you can awake in the   
morning with joy4 ,trusting in the      
,saviour for acceptance1 you can die    
happy4 ,and when the morning of the     
resurrection dawns upon you1 your heart 
will be filled with a joy which earth's 
sunniest mornings and brightest skies   
never could afford4 ,the ,saviour will  
smile upon you4 ,angels will welcome you
 to heaven4 ,you will rove1 in          
inexpressible delight1 through the green
 pastures of that blissful abode4 ,you  
will lie down by the still waters where 
there is sweet repose for ever4 ,oh1    

what an hour of bliss must that be1 when
 the child1 saved from sin and sorrow1  
,has reached the shore ,where tempests  
never beat nor billows roar6            
,,chapter ,,iii4    ,,obedience4    ,in 
the chapters you have now read1 ,i have 
endeavored to show you how much your own
 happiness1 and that of your parents1   
depend upon your conduct4 ,and ,i trust 
every child who has read thus far1 has  
resolved to do all in his power to      
promote the happiness of those who have 
been so kind to him4 ,but you will find 
that it is a very different thing to    
resolve to do your duty1 from what it is
 to perform your resolutions when the   
hour of temptation comes4 ,it requires  
courage and firmness to do right1 when  
you are surrounded by those who urge you
 to do wrong4 ,temptations to do wrong  
will be continually arising2 and1 unless
 you have resolution to brave ridicule1 
and to refuse solicitation1 you will be 
continually led into trouble4 ,i knew a 
young man who was ruined entirely1      

because he had not courage enough to say
 no4 ,he was1 when a boy1 very amiable  
in his disposition1 and did not wish to 
make any person unhappy2 but he had no  
mind of his own1 and could be led about 
by his associates into almost any       
difficulties1 or any sins4 ,if1 in a    
clear moonlight winter evening1 his     
father told him he might go out doors1  
and slide down the hill for half an     
hour1 he would resolve to be obedient   
and return home at the time appointed4  
,but if there were other boys there1 who
 should tease him to remain longer he   
had not the courage to refuse4 ,and thus
 he would disobey his kind parents      
because he had not courage to do his    
duty4 ,he began in this way1 and so he  
continued4 ,one day1 a bad boy asked him
 to go into a store1 and drink some     
brandy4 ,he knew it was wrong1 and did  
not wish to go4 ,but he feared that1 if 
he did not1 he would be laughed at2 and 
so he went4 ,having thus yielded to this
 temptation1 he was less prepared for   

temptation again4 ,he went to the bottle
 with one and another1 till at last he  
became intemperate1 and would stagger   
through the streets4 ,he fell into the  
company of gamblers1 because he could   
not refuse their solicitations4 ,he thus
 became a gambler himself1 and went on  
from step to step1 never having         
resolution to say no1 till he ruined    
himself1 and planted within him the     
seeds of disease1 which hurried him to a
 premature grave4 ,he died the miserable
 victim of his own irresolution4        
,thousands have been thus ruined4 ,they 
are amiable in disposition1 and in      
general mean well1 but have not courage 
to do their duty4 ,they fear that others
 will laugh at them4 ,now1 unless you   
are sufficiently brave not to care if   
others do laugh at you2 unless you have 
sufficient courage to say no1 when      
others tempt you to do wrong1 you will  
be always in difficulty3 such a person  
never can be happy or respected4 ,you   
must not expect it will be always easy  

to do your duty4 ,at times it will      
require a great mental struggle1 and    
call into exercise all the resolution   
you possess4 ,it is best that it should 
be so1 that you may acquire firmness of 
character and strength of integrity4    
,near a school-house in the country1    
there was an apple-tree4 ,one summer it 
was covered with hard1 and sour1 and    
green apples1 and the little girls who  
went to that school could hardly resist 
the temptation of eating those apples1  
though they knew there was danger of its
 making them sick4 ,one girl1 who went  
to that school1 was expressly forbidden 
by her mother from eating them4 ,but    
when all her playmates were around her1 
with the apples in their hands1 and     
urging her to eat1 telling her that her 
mother never would know it1 she wickedly
 yielded to their solicitation4 ,she    
felt guilty1 as1 in disobedience to her 
mother's commands1 she ate the forbidden
 fruit4 ,but she tried to appease her   
conscience by thinking that it could do 

no harm4 ,having thus commenced         
disobedience1 she could every day eat   
more freely1 and with less reluctance4  
,at last she was taken sick4 ,her mother
 asked her if she had been eating any of
 the green apples at school4 ,here came 
another temptation to sin4 ,when we once
 commence doing wrong1 it is impossible 
to tell where we shall stop4 ,she was   
afraid to acknowledge to her mother her 
disobedience2 and to hide the fault she 
told a lie4 ,she declared that she had  
not eaten any of the apples4 ,unhappy   
girl6 she had first disobeyed her       
mother1 and then told a lie to conceal  
her sin4 ,but she continually grew more 
sick1 and it became necessary to send   
for the physician4 ,he came1 and when he
 had looked upon her feverish           
countenance1 and felt her throbbing     
pulse1 he said there was something upon 
her stomach which must be removed4 ,as  
he was preparing the nauseous emetic1   
the conscience-smitten girl trembled for
 fear that her disobedience and her     

falsehood should both be brought to     
light4 ,as soon as the emetic operated1 
her mother saw1 in the half-chewed      
fragments of green apples1 the cause of 
her sickness4 ,what could the unhappy   
and guilty girl say8 ,denial was now1 of
 course1 out of the question4 ,she could
 only cover her face with her hands1 in 
the vain attempt to hide her shame4 ,we 
hope that this detection and            
mortification will teach that little    
girl a lesson which she will never      
forget4 ,and we hope that the relation  
of the story will induce every child1   
who reads it1 to guard against          
temptation1 and boldly to resist every  
allurement to sin4 ,temptations will be 
continually coming1 which you will find 
it hard to resist4 ,but if you once     
yield1 you have entered that downward   
path which leads inevitably to sorrow   
and shame4 ,how much wiser would it have
 been in the little girl1 whose story we
 have just related1 if she had in the   
first instance resolutely refused to    

disobey her mother's command6 ,how much 
happier would she have been1 when       
retiring to sleep at night1 if she had  
the joy of an approving conscience1 and 
could1 with a grateful heart1 ask the   
blessing of ,god6 ,the only path of     
safety and happiness is implicit        
obedience4 ,if you1 in the slightest    
particular1 yield to temptation1 and do 
that which you know to be wrong1 you    
will not know when or where to stop4 ,to
 hide one crime1 you will be guilty of  
another2 and thus you will draw down    
upon yourself the frown of your ,maker1 
and expose yourself to sorrow for time  
and eternity4  ,and think not that these
 temptations to do wrong will be few or 
feeble4 ,hardly a day will pass in which
 you will not be tempted1 either through
 indolence to neglect your duty1 or to  
do that which you know your parents will
 disapprove4 ,a few years ago1 two      
little boys went to pass the afternoon  
and evening at the house of one of their
 playmates1 who had a party1 to         

celebrate his birth-day4 ,their parents 
told them to come home at eight o'clock 
in the evening4 ,it was a beautiful     
afternoon1 late in the autumn1 as the   
large party of boys assembled at the    
house of their friend4 ,numerous barns  
and sheds were attached to the house1   
and a beautiful grove of beach and of   
oak surrounded it1 affording a most     
delightful place for all kinds of sport4
 ,never did boys have a more happy time4
 ,they climbed the tree1 and swung upon 
the limbs1 ,and as they jumped upon the 
new-made hay in the barns1 they made the
 walls ring with their joyous shouts4   
,happiness seemed1 for the time1 to fill
 every heart4 ,they continued their     
sports till the sun had gone down behind
 the hills1 and the last ray of twilight
 had disappeared4 ,when it became too   
dark for outdoor play1 they went into   
the house1 and commenced new plays in   
the brightly-lighted parlor4 ,as they   
were in the midst of the exciting game  
of blind man's buff1 some one entered   

the room1 and requested them all to take
 their seats1 for apples and nuts were  
to be brought in4 ,just as the door was 
opened by the servant bringing in the   
waiter loaded with apples and nuts1 the 
clock struck eight4 ,the boys1 who had  
been told to leave at that hour1 felt   
troubled enough4 ,they knew not what to 
do4 ,the temptation to stay was almost  
too strong to be resisted4 ,the older   
brother of the two faintly whispered to 
one at his side1 that he must go4       
,immediately there was an uproar all    
over the room1 each one exclaiming      
against it4  ,why1 said one1 my mother  
told me ,i might stay till nine4  ,my   
mother1 said another1 did not say any   
thing about my coming home3 she will let
 me stay as long as ,i want to4  ,i     
would not be tied to my mother's        
apron-string1 said a rude boy1 in a     
distant part of the room4  ,a timid boy1
 who lived in the next house to the one 
in which these two little boys lived1   
came up1 and said1 with a very imploring

 countenance and voice1 ,i am going home
 at half past eight4 ,now do stay a     
little while longer1 and then we will go
 home together4 ,i would not go alone1  
it is so dark4  ,and even the lady of   
the house where they were visiting1 came
 to them and said1 ,i do not think your 
mother will have any objection to have  
you stay a few moments longer1 and eat  
an apple and a few nuts4 ,i would have  
sent them in earlier1 if ,i had known   
that you wanted to go4  ,now1 what1     
could these poor boys do8 ,how could    
they summon resolution to resist so much
 entreaty8 ,for a moment they hesitated1
 and almost yielded to the temptation4  
,but virtue wavered only for a moment4  
,they immediately mustered all their    
courage1 and said1 ,we must go4 ,hastily
 bidding them all good night1 they got  
their hats as quick as they could1 for  
fear1 if they delayed1 they should yield
 to the temptation1 and left the house4 
,they stopped not a moment to look back 
upon the brightly-shining windows1 and  

happy group of boys within1 but1 taking 
hold of each other's hands1 ran as fast 
as they could on their way home4 ,when  
they arrived at home1 their father and  
mother met them with a smile4 ,and when 
their parents learnt under what strong  
temptations they had been to disobey1   
and that they had triumphed over these  
temptations1 they looked upon their     
children with feelings of gratification1
 which amply repaid them for all their  
trial4 ,and when these boys went to bed 
that night1 they felt that they had done
 their duty1 and that they had given    
their parents pleasure2 and these       
thoughts gave them vastly more happiness
 than they could have enjoyed if they   
had remained with their playmates beyond
 the hour which their parents had       
permitted4 ,this was a noble proof of   
their determination to do their duty4   
,and1 considering their youth and       
inexperience and the circumstances of   
the temptation1 it was one of the       
severest trials to which they could be  

exposed4 ,probably1 in all their after  
life1 they would not be under stronger  
temptations to swerve from duty4 ,now1  
every child will often be exposed to    
similar temptations4 ,and if your       
resolution be not strong1 you will      
yield4 ,and if you once begin to yield1 
you will never know where to stop but1  
in all probability1 will go on from step
 to step till you are for ever lost to  
virtue and to happiness4  ,but perhaps  
some child1 who reads this1 thinks ,i   
make too serious a matter of so slight a
 thing4 ,you say1 ,it cannot make much  
difference whether ,i come home half an 
hour earlier or later4 ,but you are     
mistaken here4 ,it does make a great    
difference4 ,think you ,god can look    
upon the disobedience of a child as a   
trifling sin8 ,is it a trifle to refuse 
to obey parents who have loved you1 and 
watched over you for months and for     
years2 who have taken care of you in    
sickness1 and endeavored to relieve you 
when in pain2 who have given you clothes

 to wear1 and food to eat1 and have done
 all in their power to make you happy8  
,it is inexcusable ingratitude4 ,it is  
awful sin4 ,but perhaps you ask1 ,what  
positive harm does it do8 ,it teaches   
your parents that their child is        
unwilling to obey them2 and is there no 
harm in that8 ,it makes your parents    
unhappy2 and is there no harm in that8  
,it tempts you to disobey in other      
things2 and is there no harm in that8   
,it is entering upon that career of sin 
which led the girl1 whom we have1 in the
 first chapter1 described to you1 to the
 house of correction1 and the wretched  
boy to the gallows4 ,oh1 beware how you 
think it is a little thing to disobey   
your parents6 ,their happiness is in a  
great degree in your hands2 and every   
thing which you knowingly do that       
disturbs their happiness in the least   
degree1 is sin in the sight of ,god2 and
 you must answer for it at his bar4  ,if
 you go into any state prison1 you will 
see a large number of men working in    

silence and in gloom4 ,they are dressed 
in clothes of contrasted colors1 that1  
in case of escape1 they may be easily   
detected4 ,but the constant presence of 
vigilant keepers1 and the high walls of 
stone1 guarded by an armed sentry1      
render escape almost impossible4 ,there 
many of these guilty men remain1 month  
after month1 and year after year1 in    
friendlessness1 and in silence1 and in  
sorrow4 ,they are in confinement and    
disgrace4 ,at night1 they are marched to
 their solitary cells1 there to pass the
 weary hours1 with no friend to converse
 with1 and no joy to cheer them4 ,they  
are left1 in darkness and in solitude1  
to their own gloomy reflections4 ,and1  
oh6 how many bitter tears must be shed  
in the midnight darkness of those cells6
 ,how many an unhappy criminal would    
give worlds1 if he had them to give1    
that he might again be innocent and     
free6 ,you will see in the prison many  
who are young--almost children4 ,if you 
go around from cell to cell1 and inquire

 how these wretched persons commenced   
their course of sin1 very many will tell
 you that it was with disobedience to   
parents4 ,you will find prisoners there1
 whose parents are most affectionate and
 kind4 ,they have endeavored to make    
their children virtuous and happy4 ,but1
 oh6 how cruelly have their hopes been  
blasted6 ,a disobedient son has gone    
from step to step in crime1 till he has 
brought himself to the gloomy cell of   
the prison1 and has broken his parents' 
hearts by his disobedience4  ,the       
chaplain of the ,massachusetts state    
prison recently communicated to the     
public the following interesting        
narrative of the progress of crime4  ,a 
few weeks since1 ,i addressed the       
congregation to which ,i minister1 on   
the importance of a strict attention to 
what are usually denominated little     
things2 and remarked1 that it is the    
want of attention to these little       
things1 which not unfrequently throws a 
disastrous influence over the whole     

course of subsequent life4 ,it was also 
further remarked1 that a large          
proportion of the events and            
transactions1 which go to make up the   
lives of most men1 are1 as they are     
usually estimated1 comparatively        
unimportant and trivial2 and yet1 that  
all these events and transactions       
contribute1 in a greater or less degree1
 to the formation of character2 and that
 on moral character are suspended1      
essentially1 our usefulness and         
happiness in time1 and our well-being in
 eternity4  ,i then remarked1 that ,i   
could not doubt1 but1 on sober          
reflection1 many of that assembly would 
find that they owed the complexion of a 
great portion of their lives1 and their 
unhappy situation as tenants of the     
state prison1 to some event or          
transaction comparatively trivial1 and  
of which1 at the time1 they thought very
 little4 ,i requested them to make the  
examination1 and see whether the remark 
,i had made was not correct4  ,this was 

on the ,sabbath4 ,the next morning2 one 
of the prisoners1 an interesting young  
man1 came to me1 and observed1 that he  
should be glad to have some conversation
 with me1 whenever ,i should find it    
convenient4 ,accordingly1 in the        
afternoon of the same day1 ,i sent for  
him4 ,on his being seated1 and my       
requesting him to state freely what he  
wished to say1 he remarked1 'that he    
wished to let me know how peculiarly    
appropriate to his case were the        
observations ,i had made1 the previous  
day1 on the influence of little things2 
and if ,i would permit him1 he would    
give me a brief sketch of his history2  
and1 particularly1 of the transaction1  
which1 almost in childhood1 had given a 
disastrous coloring to the whole period 
of his youth1 and1 in the result1 had   
brought him to be an occupant of his    
present dreary abode4'  ,it appears1    
from the sketch which he gave1 that he  
was about ten years of age1 when his    
father moved from a distant part of the 

state to a town in the vicinity of      
,boston4 ,in this town was a respectable
 boarding-school1 not a great distance  
from the residence of his father2 and to
 this school he was sent4 ,having always
 lived in the country1 he had seen very 
few of those novelties1 and parades1 and
 shows1 which are so common in and near 
the city2 and it is not wonderful1 that1
 when they occurred1 he should1 like    
most children1 feel a strong desire to  
witness them4  ,before he had been long 
at school1 he heard there was to be a   
,cattle ,show at ,brighton4 ,he had     
never seen a ,cattle ,show4 ,he presumed
 it must be a very interesting          
spectacle1 and felt a very strong desire
 to attend4 ,this desire1 on the morning
 of the first day of the show1 he       
expressed to his father1 and was told   
that it would be a very improper place  
for him to go to1 unless attended by    
some suitable person to watch over and  
take care of him2 and that such was the 
business of the father1 that he could   

not accompany him1 and1 of course1 his  
desire could not be gratified4 ,he was  
sorely disappointed1 but resolved not to
 give up1 without further effort1 an    
object on which his heart was so much   
set4  ,the next morning he beset his    
father again on the subject4 ,his father
 seemed anxious to have his son         
gratified1 but told him that he could by
 no means consent to have him go to such
 a place without suitable company2 and1 
though his business was urgent1 he would
 try to go in the afternoon2 and1 if he 
did1 he would call at the school- house1
 and take him with him4 ,this was all he
 could promise4  ,but here was an       
uncertainty1 an if1 which very illy     
accorded with the eager curiosity of the
 son4 ,accordingly1 he resolved that he 
would go at all hazards4 ,he doubted    
much whether his father would go1 and if
 he did not1 he concluded he might1     
without much difficulty1 conceal the    
matter from him4 ,having formed his     
determination and laid his plan1 he     

went1 before leaving home in the        
morning1 to his father's desk1 and took 
a little money to spend on the occasion2
 and1 instead of going to school1 went  
to ,brighton4 ,contrary1 however1 to his
 expectations and hopes1 his father1 for
 the sake of gratifying him1 concluded  
to go to the show1 and1 on his way1     
called for him4 ,but no son was to be   
found1 and no son had been there that   
day4 ,the father1 during the afternoon1 
saw the son1 but took care that the son 
should not discover him4 ,after the     
return of both at evening1 the father   
inquired of the son whether he had      
attended school that day4 ,his reply was
 that he had4 ,my youthful readers will 
perceive how readily and naturally one  
fault leads to another4 ,but the son was
 soon satisfied from further questions1 
and from the manner of his father1 that 
he knew where he had been2 and he       
confessed the whole4  ,the father told  
him that he should feel himself bound in
 duty to acquaint his teacher with the  

affair1 and to request him to call him  
to account for absenting himself thus   
from the school without permission1 and 
to inflict such punishment on him as    
might be thought proper4  ,he was1      
accordingly1 sent to school1 and1 in his
 view1 disgraced in the estimation of   
his teacher and of his school-fellows2  
and he resolved not to submit to it for 
any great length of time4 ,a few days   
after this1 he left home1 under pretence
 of going to school1 and ran away4 ,he  
travelled on1 until he reached the town 
from which his father had removed1 and  
had been absent for several weeks before
 his parents ascertained what had become
 of him4 ,he was1 however1 discovered1  
and brought back to his home4  ,some    
time after this1 he was sent to another 
school1 in a neighboring town2 but1 not 
being altogether pleased1 he resolved1  
as he had run away once1 he would try   
the experiment again2 and this he did4  
,he had been absent six months before   
his parents ascertained what had become 

of him4 ,he had changed his name2 but1  
getting into some difficulty1 in        
consequence of which he must go to jail1
 unless he could find friends1 he was   
constrained to tell his name1 and who   
were his parents2 and in this way his   
good father1 whom he had so much abused1
 learning his son's condition1 stepped  
in to his aid1 and saved him from       
confinement in a prison4  ,but ,i should
 make this story much too long1 were ,i 
to detail all the particulars of his    
subsequent life until he became a tenant
 of the state prison4 ,suffice it to    
say1 that he went on from one misstep to
 another1 until he entered upon that    
career of crime which terminated as     
before stated4  ,and now1 beloved       
reader1 to what do you think this       
unhappy young man ascribes his          
wanderings from home1 and virtue1 and   
happiness1 and the forlorn condition in 
which he now finds himself8 ,why1       
simply1 to the trivial circumstance of  
his leaving school one day1 without his 

father's consent1 for the purpose of    
going to a cattle show6 ,and what do you
 think he says of it now8 ',i feel1'    
said he1 'that all ,i have suffered1 and
 still suffer1 is the righteous         
chastisement of heaven4 ,i deserve it   
all1 for my wicked disobedience both to 
my earthly and my heavenly ,father2 and 
,i wish1' said he1 further1 'that you   
would make such use of my case as you   
shall think best calculated to instruct 
and benefit the young4'  ,and now1      
beloved reader1 ,i have drawn up this   
sketch--and ,i can assure you it is no  
fictitious one--for your perusal4 ,you  
here see what has been the result of a  
single act of disobedience to a parent2 
what it has already cost this unhappy   
man to gratify1 in an unlawful way1 his 
youthful curiosity even in a single     
instance4   ,may ,he1 who giveth wisdom 
to all who ask it1 lead and guide you   
safely through the journey of life1 and 
cause that even this humble sketch shall
 serve to strengthen you in virtue1 and 

to deter you from the paths of the      
,destroyer4   ,can any child read this  
narrative without trembling at the      
thought of disobedience1 even in the    
most trifling affair8 ,if you once      
disobey your parents1 it is impossible  
to tell to what it will lead4 ,crime    
follows in the steps of crime1 till the 
career is closed by irretrievable       
disgrace and eternal ruin4 ,the         
consequences reach far1 far beyond the  
grave4 ,they affect our interests and   
our happiness in that eternal world to  
which we are all rapidly going4 ,yes2   
the child who utters one falsehood1 or  
is guilty of one act of disobedience1   
may1 in consequence of that one yielding
 to temptation1 be hurried on from crime
 to crime1 till his soul is ruined1 and 
he is shut up1 by the command of ,god1  
in those awful dungeons of endless      
despair prepared for the devil and his  
angels4  ,and how ungrateful is         
disobedience6 ,a noble-hearted boy would
 deny himself almost any pleasure2 he   

would meet almost any danger2 he would  
endure almost any suffering1 before he  
would1 in the most trifling particular1 
disobey parents who had been so kind1   
and had endured so much to make him     
happy4 ,how different is such a child   
from one who is so ungrateful that he   
will disobey his parents merely that he 
may play a few moments longer1 or that  
he may avoid some trifling work1 that he
 does not wish to perform6 ,there is a  
magnanimity in a child who feels so     
grateful for his parents' love that he  
will repay them by all the affection and
 obedience in his power1 which attracts 
the respect and affection of all who    
know him4  ,suppose you see a little boy
 walking before his mother4 ,the boy's  
father is dead2 he has been killed in   
battle4 ,you see the orphan boy carrying
 upon his shoulder his father's sword   
and cap4 ,you look at his poor mother4  
,she is weeping1 for her husband is     
dead4 ,she is returning in sorrow to her
 lonely house4 ,she has no friend but   

her dear boy4 ,how ardently does she    
love him6 ,all her hopes of earthly     
happiness are depending upon his        
obedience and affection4 ,she loves her 
boy so well1 that she would be willing  
to die1 to make him happy4 ,she will    
work night and day1 while he is young1  
to supply him with clothes and with     
food4 ,and all she asks and hopes is1   
that her boy will be affectionate1 and  
obedient1 and good4  ,and1 oh6 how      
ungrateful and cruel will he be1 if he  
neglect that mother1 and by his         
unkindness cause her to weep6 ,but you  
see that he looks like a noble-hearted  
boy4 ,his countenance seems to say1     
,dear mother1 do not cry2 if ever ,i    
grow up to be a man1 you shall never    
want1 if ,i can help it4 ,oh1 who can   
help loving the boy who loves his       
mother6  ,there was a little boy about  
thirteen years old1 whose name was      
,casablanca4 ,his father was the        
commander of a ship of war called the   
,orient4 ,the little boy accompanied his

 father to the seas4 ,his ship was once 
engaged in a terrible battle upon the   
river ,nile4 ,in the midst of the       
thunders of the battle1 while the shot  
were flying thickly around1 and strewing
 the decks with blood1 this brave boy   
stood by the side of his father1        
faithfully discharging the duties which 
were assigned to him4 ,at last his      
father placed him in a particular part  
of the ship to be performing some       
service1 and told him to remain in his  
post till he should call him away4 ,as  
the father went to some distant part of 
the ship to notice the progress of the  
battle1 a ball from the enemy's vessel  
laid him dead upon the deck4 ,but the   
son1 unconscious of his father's death1 
and faithful to the trust he posed in   
him1 remained in his post1 waiting for  
his father's orders4 ,the battle raged  
dreadfully around him4 ,the blood of the
 slain flowed at his feet4 ,the ship    
took fire1 and the threatening flames   
drew nearer and nearer4 ,still this     

noble-hearted boy would not disobey his 
father4 ,in the face of blood1 and      
balls1 and fire1 he stood firm and      
obedient4 ,the sailors began to desert  
the burning and sinking ship1 and the   
boy cried out ,father1 may ,i go8 ,but  
no voice of permission could come from  
the mangled body of his lifeless father4
 ,and the boy1 not knowing that he was  
dead1 would rather die than disobey4    
,and there that boy stood1 at his post1 
till every man had deserted the ship2   
and he stood and perished in the flames4
 ,o1 what a boy was that6 ,every body   
who ever heard of him thinks that he was
 one of the noblest boys that ever was  
born4 ,rather than disobey his father1  
he would die in the flames4 ,this       
account has been written in poetry1 and1
 as the children who read this book1 may
 like to see it1 ,i will present it to  
them here3    ,,casabianca4    ,the boy 
stood on the burning deck1 ,whence all  
but him had fled2 ,the flame that lit   
the battle's wreck1 ,shone round him1   

o'er the dead4  ,yet beautiful and      
bright he stood1 ,as born to rule the   
storm2 ,a creature of heroic blood1 ,a  
proud1 though childlike form4  ,the     
flames rolled on2 he would not go1      
,without his father's word2 ,that       
father1 faint in death below1 ,his voice
 no longer heard4  ,he called           
aloud--,say1 father1 say ',if yet my    
task is done4' ,he knew not that the    
chieftain lay ,unconscious of his son4  
,speak1 father1 once again he cried1 ,if
 ,i may yet be gone4 ,and--but the      
booming shots replied1 ,and fast the    
flames rolled on4  ,upon his brow he    
felt their breach1 ,and in his waving   
hair2 ,and looked from that lone post of
 death1 ,in still1 yet brave despair2   
,and shouted but once more aloud1 ,my   
father1 must ,i stay8 ,while o'er him   
fast1 through sail and shroud1 ,the     
wreathing fires made way4  ,they wrapped
 the ship in splendor wild1 ,they caught
 the flag on high1 ,and streamed above  
the gallant child1 ,like banners in the 

sky4  ,then came a burst of thunder     
sound ,the boy--oh6 where was he8 ,ask  
of the winds that far around ,with      
fragments strewed the sea4  ,with mast1 
and helm1 and pennon fair1 ,that well   
had borne their part1 ,but the noblest  
thing that perished there1 ,was that    
young1 faithful heart4   ,o1 who would  
not love to have such a child as that6  
,is not such a boy more noble than one  
who will disobey his parents merely that
 he may have a little play1 or that he  
may avoid some unpleasant duty8 ,the    
brave little ,casablanca would rather   
die than disobey4 ,he loved his father4 
,he had confidence in him4 ,and even    
when death was staring him in the face1 
when   ,the flames rolled on1 he would  
not go1 ,without his father's word4   ,i
 have seen some bad boys who thought it 
looked brave to care nothing for the    
wishes of their parents4 ,but do you    
think that ,casabianca was a coward8    
,no2 the boy who is truly brave1 and has
 a noble spirit1 will obey his parents4 

,if others tease him to do differently1 
he will dare to tell them1 that he means
 to do his duty2 and if they laugh at   
him1 he will let them laugh1 and show   
them1 by his conduct1 that he does not  
care for the sneers of bad boys4 ,the   
fact is1 that1 in almost all cases1     
disobedient boys are mean1 and cowardly1
 and contemptible4 ,they have not one   
particle of the spirit of the noble     
little ,casabianca4 ,and when these     
disobedient boys grow up to be men1 they
 do not command influence or respect4   
,if you would be useful and happy when  
you arrive at mature years1 you must be 
affectionate and obedient as a child4   
,it is invariably true that the path of 
duty is the path of peace4 ,the child   
who has established principles of firm  
integrity--who has that undaunted       
resolution which can face opposition and
 brave ridicule--bids fair to rise to   
eminence in usefulness and respect4     
,these qualities1 which shed so lovely a
 charm over childhood1 will go with you 

into maturer life2 they will give       
stability to your character1 and command
 respect4 ,and those faults of childhood
 which render one hesitating1 and weak1 
and cowardly1 will1 in all probability1 
continue through your whole earthly     
existence4 ,the man is but the grown-up 
child1 possessing generally the same    
traits of character in every period of  
life4 ,how important it is then that1 in
 early youth1 you should acquire the    
habit of triumphing over temptation1 and
 of resolutely discharging all your     
duties6  ,it is important for you to    
remember that obedience requires of you1
 not only to do as you are bidden1 but  
to do it with cheerfulness and alacrity4
 ,suppose1 as you are sitting at the    
table in a pleasant evening1 the        
customary hour for you to retire to rest
 arrives4 ,you are1 perhaps1 engaged in 
reading some very interesting book1 and 
do not feel at all sleepy4 ,you ask     
permission to sit up a little longer4   
,but your mother tells you that the time

 for you to go to bed has come1 and she 
prefers that you should be regular in   
your habits4 ,you think it is rather    
hard that you cannot be indulged in your
 wishes1 and1 with sullen looks1 shut   
your book1 and1 taking a light1 in ill  
humor go to your chamber4 ,now1 this is 
not obedience4 ,as you retire to your   
chamber1 the displeasure of ,god follows
 you4 ,your sin of disobedience is so   
great1 that you cannot even pray before 
you fall asleep4 ,it is impossible for a
 person to pray when out of humor4 ,you 
may repeat the words of prayer1 but you 
cannot offer acceptable prayer to the   
,lord4 ,and as you lie down upon your   
bed1 and the darkness of night is around
 you1 your offended ,maker regards you  
as an ungrateful and disobedient child4 
,and all the night long his eye is upon 
your heart1 and the knowledge of your   
sin is in his mind4 ,obedience belongs  
to the heart1 as well as to the outward 
conduct4 ,it is necessary that you      
should1 with affection and cheerfulness1

 fulfill the wishes of your parents4    
,you should feel that they know what is 
best1 and1 instead of being sullen and  
displeased because they do not think fit
 to indulge you in all your wishes1 you 
should1 with a pleasant countenance and 
a willing heart1 yield to their         
requirements4  ,you do not know how much
 pleasure it affords your parents to see
 you happy4 ,they are willing to make   
almost any sacrifice for your good4 ,and
 they never have more heartfelt         
enjoyment themselves than when they see 
their children virtuous1 contented1 and 
happy4 ,when they refuse to gratify any 
of your desires1 it is not because they 
do not wish to see you happy1 but       
because they see that your happiness    
will be best promoted by refusing your  
request4 ,they have lived longer in the 
world than you1 and know better than you
 the dangers by which you are           
surrounded4 ,deeply interested in your  
book1 you desire to sit up later than   
usual1 and think it would make you      

happy4 ,but your mother1 who is older   
and wiser1 knows that the way to make   
children healthy and happy1 is to have  
them in the regular habit of retiring   
early at night4 ,and when you ask to sit
 up later than usual1 she loves you too 
well to permit it4 ,you think she is    
cruel1 when1 in fact1 she is as kind as 
she can be4 ,if she were an unkind      
mother1 and cared nothing about your    
happiness1 she would say1 ,o yes2 you   
may sit up as long as you please4 ,i do 
not care any thing about it4  ,now1 is  
it obedience1 when your kind mother is  
doing all in her power to make you      
happy1 for you to look sullen and       
morose8 ,is it honoring your father and 
your mother1 for you to look offended   
and speak unkindly1 because they wish   
you to do that which they know to be for
 your welfare8 ,the truly grateful child
 will endeavor1 always1 with a pleasant 
countenance1 and a peaceful heart1 to   
yield ready obedience to his parents'   
wishes4 ,he will never murmur or        

complain4 ,such a child can retire to   
bed at night contented and happy4 ,he   
can sincerely thank ,god for all his    
goodness and pray for that protection   
which ,god is ever ready to grant those 
who love him4    ,,chapter ,,iv4        
,,obedience1 7continued7    ,there is   
hardly any subject upon which children  
in well-regulated families feel more    
like complaining-1 than of the          
unwillingness of their parents to       
indulge them1 in evening plays and      
evening visits4 ,an active boy1 whose   
heart is full of fun and frolic1 is     
sitting quietly by the fireside1 in a   
pleasant winter evening4 ,every now and 
then he hears the loud shouts and joyful
 laugh of some twenty of his companions1
 who are making the moonlight air ring  
with their merriment4 ,occasionally1 a  
troop of them will go rushing by the    
windows1 in the impetuosity of their    
sports4 ,the ardent little fellow by the
 fireside can hardly contain himself4   
,he longs to unite his voice in the     

shout1 and try his feet in the chase4   
,he nestles upon his chair1 and walks   
across the room1 and peeps through the  
curtains4 ,as he sees the dark forms of 
the boys clustered together in merry    
groups1 or scattered in their plays1 he 
feels as though1 he were a prisoner4    
,and even though he be a good boy1 and  
obedient to his parents1 he can hardly  
understand why it is that they deprive  
him of this pleasure4 ,i used to feel so
 when ,i was a boy1 and ,i suppose other
 boys feel so4 ,but now ,i see the      
reason4 ,those night plays led the boys 
into bad habits4 ,all kinds of boys met 
together1 and some would use indecent   
and profane language1 which depraved the
 hearts and corrupted the morals of the 
rest4 ,the boys who were thus spending  
their evenings1 were misimproving their 
time1 and acquiring a disrelish for the 
purifying and peaceful enjoyments of    
home4 ,you sometimes see men who appear 
to care nothing about their families4   
,they spend their evenings away from    

home with the idle and the dissolute4   
,such men are miserable and despised4   
,their families are forsaken and        
unhappy4 ,why do these men do so8       
,because1 when they were boys1 they     
spent their evenings away from home1    
playing in the streets4 ,thus home lost 
all its charms1 virtue was banished     
from1 their bosoms1 and life was robbed 
of its joy4 ,i wish every boy who reads 
this would think of these reasons1 and  
see if they are not sufficient4 ,your   
kind parents do not allow you to go out 
in the evenings and play in the         
streets--   ,i4 ,because you will       
acquire bad habits4 ,you will grow rude 
and vulgar in manners1 and acquire a    
relish for pleasures which will destroy 
your usefulness and your happiness4     
,,ii4 ,you will always find in such     
scenes bad boys1 and must hear much     
indecent and profane language1 which    
will corrupt your heart4  ,,iii4 ,you   
will lose all fondness for the enjoyment
 of home1 and will be in great danger of

 growing up a dissipated and a worthless
 man4   ,now1 are not these reasons     
sufficient to induce your parents to    
guard you against such temptations8 ,but
 perhaps you say1 ,other parents let    
their children go out and play as much  
as they please every evening4 ,how      
grateful1 then1 ought you to be1 that   
you have parents who are so kind and    
faithful that they will preserve you    
from these occasions of sin and sorrow6 
,they love you too well to be willing to
 see you preparing for an unhappy and   
profitless life4  ,it not unfrequently  
is the case that a girl has young       
associates1 who are in the habit of     
walking without protectors in the       
evening twilight4 ,on the evening of    
some lovely summer's day1 as the whole  
western sky is blazing with the golden  
hue of sunset1 her companions call at   
her door1 to invite her to accompany    
them upon an excursion of pleasure4 ,she
 runs to her parents with her heart     
bounding with joy1 in anticipation of   

the walk4 ,they inquire into the plans  
of the party1 and find that it will be  
impossible for them to return from their
 contemplated expedition before the     
darkness of the evening shall come4 ,as 
affectionate and faithful parents1 they 
feel that it is not proper or safe for  
them to trust their little daughter in  
such a situation4 ,they1 consequently1  
cannot consent that she should go4 ,she 
is disappointed in the extreme1 and as  
she sees her friends departing1 social  
and happy1 she retires to her chamber   
and weeps4 ,the momentary disappointment
 to her is one of the severest she can  
experience1 and she can hardly help     
feeling that her parents are cruel1 to  
deprive her of so much anticipated      
pleasure4 ,her companions go away with  
the same feelings4 ,they make many      
severe remarks1 and really think that   
this little girl's parents are unkind4  
,perhaps they have a pleasant walk1 and 
all return home in safety2 and for many 
days they talk together at school of the

 delightful enjoyments of that evening4 
,and this increases the impression on   
the mind of the little girl1 that it was
 unkind in her parents not to let her   
go4  ,but1 perhaps1 as they were        
returning1 they met a drunken man1 who  
staggered in amongst them4 ,terrified1  
they scatter and run4 ,one1 in          
endeavoring to jump over a fence1 spoils
 her gown4 ,another1 fleeing in the     
dark1 falls1 and sadly bruises her face4
 ,another1 with loss of bonnet1 and with
 dishevelled hair1 gains the door of her
 home4 ,and thus is this party1         
commenced with high expectations of joy1
 terminated with fright and tears4 ,the 
parents of the little girl who remained 
at home1 knew that they were exposed to 
all this2 and they loved their daughter 
too well to allow her to be placed in   
such a situation4 ,was it not kind in   
them8  ,perhaps1 as they were returning1
 they met some twenty or more of the    
rudest boys of the village1 in the midst
 of their most exciting sports4 ,here   

are ,emma1 ,maria1 and ,susan1 with     
their party of timid girls1 who must    
force their way through this crowd of   
turbulent and noisy boys4 ,it is already
 dark4 ,some of the most unmannerly and 
wicked boys of the village are there    
assembled4 ,they are highly excited with
 their sports4 ,and the moment they     
catch a view of the party of girls1 they
 raise a shout1 and rush in among them  
reckless and thoughtless4 ,the parents  
of the little girl who staid at home1   
knew that she would be exposed to such  
scenes2 and as they loved their         
daughter1 they could not consent that   
she should go4 ,was it not kind8  ,a few
 young girls once went on such an       
evening walk1 intending to return before
 it was dark4 ,but in the height of     
their enjoyment they forgot how rapidly 
the time was passing1 and twilight      
leaving them4 ,but1 at last1 when they  
found how far they were from home1 and  
how dark it was growing1 they became    
quite alarmed1 and hastened homeward4   

,they1 however1 got along very well     
while they were all together4 ,but when 
it became necessary for them to         
separate1 to go to their respective     
homes1 and several of them had to go    
alone in the darkness1 they felt quite  
terrified4 ,it was necessary for one of 
these little girls1 after she had left  
all her companions1 to go nearly a      
quarter of a mile4 ,she set out upon the
 run1 her heart beating with fear4 ,she 
had not proceeded far1 however1 before  
she heard the loud shouts of a mob of   
young men and boys1 directly in the     
street through which she must pass4 ,as 
she drew nearer1 the shouts and laughter
 grew louder and more appalling4 ,she   
hesitated4 ,but what could she do8 ,she 
must go on4 ,trembling1 she endeavored  
to glide through the crowd1 when a great
 brutal boy1 with a horrid mask on his  
face and a jack-o'lantern in his hand1  
came up before her4 ,he threw the glare 
of the light upon her countenance1 and  
stared her full in the face4 ,here is my

 wife1 said he1 and tried to draw her   
arm into his4 ,a loud shout from the    
multitude of boys echoed through the    
darkened air4 ,hardly knowing what she  
did1 she pressed through the crowd1 and1
 breathless with fright1 arrived at her 
home4 ,and ,i will assure you she did   
not wish to take any more evening walks 
without a protector4 ,from that time    
afterwards she was careful to be under  
her father's roof before it was dark4   
,now can you think that your father or  
mother are unkind1 because they are     
unwilling to have you placed in such a  
situation8 ,and when they are doing all 
that they can to make you happy1 ought  
you not to be grateful1 and by a        
cheerful countenance1 and ready         
obedience1 to try to reward them for    
their love8  ,it is the duty of all     
children to keep in mind that their     
parents know what is best4 ,and when    
they refuse to gratify your wishes1 you 
should remember that their object is to 
do you good4 ,that obedience which is   

prompt and cheerful1 is the only        
obedience which is acceptable to them1  
or well-pleasing to ,god4 ,a great many 
cases will occur in which you will wish 
to do that which your parents will not  
approve4 ,if you do not1 in such cases1 
pleasantly and readily yield to their   
wishes1 you are ungrateful and          
disobedient4  ,neither is it enough that
 you should obey their expressed        
commands4 ,you ought to try to do every 
thing which you think will give them    
pleasure1 whether they tell you to do it
 or not4 ,a good child will seek for    
opportunities to make his parents happy4
 ,a little girl1 for instance1 has some 
work to do4 ,she knows that if she does 
it well and quick1 it will gratify her  
mother4 ,now1 if she be a good girl2 she
 will not wait for her mother's orders1 
but will1 of her own accord1 improve her
 time1 that she may exhibit the work to 
her mother sooner and more nicely done  
than she expected4  ,perhaps her mother 
is sick4 ,her affectionate daughter will

 not wait for her mother to express her 
wishes4 ,she will try to anticipate     
them4 ,she will walk softly around the  
chamber1 arranging every thing in       
cheerful order4 ,she will adjust the    
clothes of the bed1 that her mother may 
lie as comfortably as possible4 ,and she
 will watch all her mother's movements1 
that she may learn what things she needs
 before she asks for them4 ,such will be
 the conduct of an affectionate and     
obedient child4 ,i was once called to   
see a poor woman who was very sick4 ,she
 was a widow1 and in poverty4 ,her only 
companion and only earthly reliance was 
her daughter4 ,as ,i entered the humble 
dwelling of this poor woman1 ,i saw her 
bolstered up in the bed1 with her pale  
countenance emaciated with pain1 and    
every thing about the room proclaiming  
the most abject poverty4 ,her daughter  
sat sewing at the head of the bed1      
watching every want of her mother1 and  
active with her needle4 ,the perfect    
neatness of the room1 told how faithful 

was the daughter in the discharge of her
 painful and arduous duties4 ,but her   
own slender form and consumptive        
countenance showed that by toil and     
watching she was almost worn out        
herself4 ,this noble girl1 by night and 
by day1 with unwearied attention1       
endeavored to alleviate the excruciating
 pains of her afflicted parent4 ,i could
 not look upon her but with admiration1 
in seeing the devotedness with which she
 watched every movement of her mother4  
,how many wealthy parents would give all
 they possess1 to be blessed with such a
 child6 ,for months this devoted girl   
had watched around her mother by night  
and by day1 with a care which seemed    
never to be weary4 ,you could see by the
 movement of her eye1 and by the        
expression of her countenance1 how full 
her heart was of sympathy4 ,she did not 
wait for her mother to tell her what to 
do1 but was upon the watch all the time 
to find out what would be a comfort to  
her4 ,this is what ,i call obedience4   

,it is that obedience which ,god in     
heaven approves and loves4  ,i called   
often upon this poor widow1 and always  
with increasing admiration of this      
devoted child1 ,one morning1 as ,i      
entered the room1 ,i saw the mother     
lying upon the bed on the floor1 with   
her head in the lap of her daughter4    
,she was breathing short and heavy in   
the struggles of death4 ,the tears were 
rolling down the pale cheeks of her     
daughter1 as she pressed her hand upon  
the brow of her dying mother4 ,the hour 
of death had just arrived1 and the poor 
mother1 in the triumphs of ,christian   
faith1 with faint and faltering accents1
 was imploring ,god's blessing upon her 
dear daughter4 ,it was a most affecting 
farewell4 ,the mother1 while thus       
expressing her gratitude to ,god for the
 kindness of her beloved child1 breathed
 her last4 ,and angels must have looked 
upon that humble abode1 and upon that   
affecting scene1 with emotions of       
pleasure1 which could hardly be exceeded

 by any thing else which the world could
 present4 ,o that all children would    
feel the gratitude which this girl felt 
for a mother's early love6 ,then would  
the world be divested of half its       
sorrows1 and of half its sins4 ,this is 
the kind of obedience which every child 
should cultivate4 ,you should not only  
do whatever your parents tell you to do1
 with cheerfulness and alacrity1 but you
 should be obedient to their wishes4    
,you should be watching for             
opportunities to give them pleasure4    
,you should1 at all times1 and under all
 circumstances1 do every thing in your  
power to relieve them from anxiety and  
to make them happy4 ,then can you hope  
for the approbation of your ,god1 and   
your heart will be filled with a joy    
which the ungrateful child can never    
feel4 ,you can reflect with pleasure    
upon your conduct4 ,when your parents   
are in the grave1 you will feel no      
remorse of conscience harrowing your    
soul for your past unkindness4 ,and when

 you die yourselves1 you can anticipate 
a happy meeting with your parents1 in   
that heavenly home1 where sin and       
sorrow1 and sickness and death1 can     
never come4  ,god has1 in almost every  
case1 connected suffering with sin4 ,and
 there are related many cases in which  
he has1 in this world1 most signally    
punished ungrateful children4 ,i read1 a
 short time since1 an account of an old 
man1 who had a drunken and brutal son4  
,he would abuse his aged father without 
mercy4 ,one day1 he1 in a passion1      
knocked him flat upon the floor1 and1   
seizing him by his gray hairs1 dragged  
him across the room to the threshold of 
the door1 to cast him out4 ,the old man1
 with his tremulous voice1 cried out to 
his unnatural son1 ,it is enough--it is 
enough4 ,god is just4 ,when ,i was      
young1 ,i dragged my own father in the  
same way2 and now ,god is giving me the 
punishment ,i deserve4  ,sometimes you  
will see a son who will not be obedient 
to his mother4 ,he will have his own    

way1 regardless of his mother's         
feelings4 ,he has grown up to be a stout
 and stubborn boy1 and now the          
ungrateful wretch will1 by his          
misconduct1 break the heart of that very
 mother1 who1 for months and years1     
watched over him with a care which knew 
no weariness4 ,i call him a wretch1 for 
,i can hardly conceive of more enormous 
iniquity4 ,that boy1 or that young man1 
who does not treat his affectionate     
mother with kindness and respect1 is    
worse than ,i can find language to      
describe4 ,perhaps you say1 your mother 
is at times unreasonable4 ,perhaps she  
is4 ,but what of that8 ,you have been   
unreasonable ten thousand times1 and she
 has borne with you and loved you4 ,and 
even if your mother be at times         
unreasonable in her requirements1 ,i    
want to know with what propriety you    
find fault with it4 ,is she to bear with
 all your cries in infancy1 and all your
 fretfulness in childhood1 and all your 
ingratitude and wants till you arrive at

 years of discretion1 and then1 because 
she wishes you to do some little thing  
which does not exactly meet your views1 
are you to turn upon her like a viper   
and sting her to the heart8 ,the time   
was1 when you was a little infant1 your 
mother brought paleness to her own      
cheek1 and weakness to her own frame1   
that she might give you support4 ,you   
were sick1 and in the cold winter night 
she would sit lonely by the fire1       
denying herself rest that she might lull
 her babe to sleep4 ,you would cry with 
pain1 and hour after hour she would walk
 the floor1 carrying you in her arms1   
till her arms seemed ready to drop1 and 
her limbs would hardly support her1     
through excess of weariness4 ,the bright
 sun and the cloudless sky would invite 
her to go out for health and enjoyment1 
but she would deny herself the pleasure1
 and stay at home to take care of you1  
her helpless babe4 ,her friends would   
solicit her to indulge in the pleasures 
of the social evening party1 but she    

would refuse for your sake1 and1 in the 
solitude of her chamber1 she would pass 
weeks and months watching all your      
wants4 ,thus have years passed away in  
which you have received nothing but     
kindness from her hands2 and can you be 
so hard-hearted1 so ungrateful1 as now  
to give her one moment of unnecessary   
pain8 ,if she have faults1 can you not  
bear with them1 when she has so long    
borne with you8 ,oh1 if you knew but the
 hundredth part of what she has suffered
 and endured for your sake1 you could   
not1 could not be such a wretch as to   
requite her with ingratitude4 ,a boy who
 has one particle of generosity glowing 
in his bosom1 will cling to his mother  
with an affection which life alone can  
extinguish4 ,he will never let her have 
a single want which he can prevent4 ,and
 when he grows to be a man1 he will give
 her the warmest seat by his fire-side1 
and the choicest food upon his table4   
,if necessary1 he will deprive himself  
of comforts1 that he may cheer her      

declining years4 ,he will prove1 by     
actions which cannot be misunderstood1  
that he feels a gratitude for a mother's
 love1 which shall never1 never leave   
him4 ,and when she goes down to the     
grave in death1 he will bedew her grave 
with the honorable tears of manly       
feeling4 ,the son who does not feel     
thus1 is unworthy of a mother's love2   
the frown of his offended ,maker must be
 upon him1 and he must render to ,him an
 awful account for his ungrateful       
conduct4  ,it is1 if possible1 stranger 
still1 that any daughter can forget a   
mother's care4 ,you are always at home4 
,you see your mother's solicitude4 ,you 
are familiar with her heart4 ,if you    
ever treat your mother with unkindness1 
remember that the time may come when    
your own heart will be broken by the    
misconduct of those who will be as dear 
to you as your mother's children are to 
her4 ,and you may ask yourself whether  
you would be pleased with an exhibition 
of ungrateful feeling from a child whom 

you had loved and cherished with the    
tenderest care4 ,god may reward you1    
even in this world1 according to your   
deeds4 ,and if he does not1 he certainly
 will in the world to come4 ,a day of   
judgment is at hand1 and the ungrateful 
child has as fearful an account to      
render as any one who will stand at that
 bar4  ,i have just spoken to you of the
 grateful girl who took such good care  
of her poor sick mother4 ,when that good
 girl1 dies1 and meets her mother in    
heaven1 what a happy meeting it will be6
 ,with how much joy will she reflect    
upon her dutifulness as a child6 ,and as
 they dwell together again in the       
celestial mansions1 sorrow and sighing  
will for ever flee away4 ,if you wish to
 be happy here or hereafter1 honor your 
father and your mother4 ,let love's pure
 flame burn in your heart and animate   
your life4 ,be brave1 and fear not to do
 your duty4 ,be magnanimous1 and do more
 for your parents than they require or  
expect4 ,resolve that you will do every 

thing in your power to make them happy1 
and you will be blest as a child1 and   
useful and respected in your maturer    
years4 ,oh1 how lovely is that son or   
daughter who has a grateful heart1 and  
who will rather die than give a mother  
sorrow6 ,such a one is not only loved by
 all upon earth1 but by the angels      
above1 and by our ,father in heaven4    
,it may assist you a little to estimate 
your obligations to your parents1 to    
inquire what would become of you if your
 parents should refuse to take care of  
you any longer4 ,you1 at times1 perhaps1
 feel unwilling to obey them3 suppose   
they should say1  ,very well1 my child1 
if you are unwilling to obey us1 you may
 go away from home1 and take care of    
yourself4 ,we cannot be at the trouble  
and expense of taking care of you unless
 you feel some gratitude4  ,well1       
perhaps you would say1 let me have my   
cloak and bonnet1 and ,i will go        
immediately4  ,,your ,,cloak ,,and      
,,bonnet6 your mother would reply4 ,the 

cloak and bonnet are not yours1 but your
 father's4 ,he bought them and paid for 
them4 ,why do you call them yours8  ,you
 might possibly reply1 after thinking a 
moment1 ,they are mine because you gave 
them to me4  ,no1 my child1 your mother 
would say1 we have only let you have    
them to wear4 ,you never have paid a    
cent for them4 ,you have not even paid  
us for the use of them4 ,we wish to keep
 them for those of our children who are 
grateful for our kindness4 ,even the    
clothes you now have on are not yours4  
,we will1 however1 give them to you2 and
 now suppose you should go1 and see how 
you can get along in taking care of     
yourself4  ,you rise to leave the house 
without any bonnet or cloak4 ,but your  
mother says1 ,stop one moment4 ,is there
 not an account to be settled before you
 leave8 ,we have now clothed and boarded
 you for ten years4 ,the trouble and    
expense1 at the least calculation1      
amount to two dollars a week4 ,indeed ,i
 do not suppose that you could have got 

any one else to have taken you so cheap4
 ,your board1 for ten years1 at two     
dollars a week1 amounts to one thousand 
and forty dollars4 ,are you under no    
obligation to us for all this trouble   
and expense8  ,you hang down your head  
and do not know what to say4 ,what can  
you say8 ,you have no money4 ,you cannot
 pay them4  ,your mother1 after waiting 
a moment for an answer1 continues1 ,in  
many cases1 when a person does not pay  
what is justly due1 he is sent to jail4 
,we1 however1 will be particularly kind 
to you1 and wait awhile4 ,perhaps you   
can1 by working for fifteen or twenty   
years1 and by being very economical1    
earn enough to pay us4 ,but let me see2 
the interest of the money will be over  
sixty dollars a year4 ,oh1 no6 it is out
 of the question4 ,you probably could   
not earn enough to pay us in your whole 
life4 ,we never shall be paid for the   
time1 expense1 and care1 we have devoted
 to our ungrateful daughter4 ,we hoped  
she would love us1 and obey us1 and thus

 repay4 ,but it seems she prefers to be 
ungrateful and disobedient4 ,good by4   
,you open the door and go out4 ,it is   
cold and windy4 ,shivering with the     
cold1 and without money1 you are at once
 a beggar1 and must perish in the       
streets1 unless some one takes pity on  
you4  ,you go1 perhaps1 to the house of 
a friend1 and ask if they will allow you
 to live with them4  ,they at once      
reply1 ,we have so many children of our 
own1 that we cannot afford to take you1 
unless you will pay for your board and  
clothing4  ,you go again out into the   
street1 cold1 hungry1 and friendless4   
,the darkness of the night is coming on2
 you have no money to purchase a supper1
 or night's lodging4 ,unless you can get
 some employment1 or find some one who  
will pity you1 you must lie down upon   
the hard ground1 and perish with hunger 
and with cold4  ,perhaps some benevolent
 man sees you as he is going home in the
 evening1 and takes you to the overseers
 of the poor1 and says1 ,here is a      

little vagrant girl ,i found in the     
streets4 ,we must send the poor little  
thing to the poor house1 or she will    
starve to death4  ,you are carried to   
the poor house4 ,there you had a very   
different home from your father's4 ,you 
are dressed in the coarsest garments4   
,you have the meanest food1 and are     
compelled to be obedient1 and to do the 
most servile work4  ,now1 suppose1 while
 you are in the poor house1 some kind   
gentleman and lady should come and say1 
,we will take this little girl1 and give
 her food and clothes for nothing4 ,we  
will take her into our own parlor1 and  
give her a chair by our own pleasant    
fireside4 ,we will buy every thing for  
her that she needs4 ,we will hire       
persons to teach her4 ,we will do every 
thing in our power to make her happy1   
and will not ask for one cent of pay in 
return4  ,what should you think of such 
kindness8 ,and what should you think of 
yourself1 if you could go to their      
parlor1 and receive their bounty1 and   

yet be ungrateful and disobedient8      
,would not a child who could thus       
requite such love1 be deserving of      
universal detestation8 ,but all this    
your parents are doing1 and for years   
have been doing for you4 ,they pay for  
the fire that warms you2 for the house  
that shelters you2 for the clothes that 
cover you2 for the food that supports   
you6 ,they watch over your bed in       
sickness1 and provide for your          
instruction and enjoyment when in       
health6 ,your parents do all this       
without money and without price4 ,now1  
whenever you feel ill humored1 or       
disposed to murmur at any of their      
requirements1 just look a moment and see
 how the account stands4 ,inquire what  
would be the consequence1 if they should
 refuse to take care of you4  ,the child
 who does not feel grateful for all this
 kindness1 must be more unfeeling than  
the brutes4 ,how can you refrain from1  
doing every thing in your power to make 
those happy who have loved you so long1 

and have conferred upon you so many     
favors6 ,if you have any thing noble or 
generous in your nature1 it must be     
excited by a parent's love4 ,you        
sometimes see a child who receives all  
these favors as though they were her    
due4 ,she appears to have no            
consciousness of obligation2 no heart of
 gratitude4 ,such a child is a disgrace 
to human nature4 ,even the very fowls of
 the air1 and cattle of the fields1 love
 their parents4 ,they put to shame the  
ungrateful child4  ,you can form no     
conception of that devotedness of love  
which your mother cherishes for you4    
,she is willing to suffer almost every  
thing to save you from pain4 ,she will1 
to protect you1 face death in its most  
terrific form4 ,an ,english gentleman   
tells the following affecting story1 to 
show how ardently a mother loves her    
child4  ,i was once going1 in my gig1 up
 the hill in the village of ,frankford1 
near ,philadelphia when a little girl   
about two years old1 who had toddled    

away from a small house1 was lying      
basking in the sun1 in the middle of the
 road4 ,about two hundred yards before  
,i got to the child1 the teams of three 
wagons1 five big horses in each1 the    
drivers of which had stopped to drink at
 a tavern at the brow of the hill1      
started off1 and came nearly abreast1   
galloping down the road4 ,i got my gig  
off the road as speedily as ,i could1   
but expected to see the poor child      
crushed to pieces4 ,a young man1 a      
journeyman carpenter1 who was shingling 
a shed by the road side1 seeing the     
child1 and seeing the danger1 though a  
stranger to the parents1 jumped from the
 top of the shed1 ran into the road1 and
 snatched up the child from scarcely an 
inch before the hoof of the leading     
horse4 ,the horse's leg knocked him     
down2 but he1 catching the child by its 
clothes1 flung it back out of the way of
 the other horses1 and saved himself by 
rolling back with surprising agility4   
,the mother of the child1 who had       

apparently been washing1 seeing the     
teams coming1 and seeing the situation  
of the child1 rushed out1 and1 catching 
up the child1 just as the carpenter had 
flung it back1 and hugging it in her    
arms1 uttered a shriek1 such as ,i never
 heard before1 never heard since1 and1  
,i hope1 shall never hear again2 and    
then she dropped down as if perfectly   
dead4 ,by the application of the usual  
means1 she was restored1 however1 in a  
little while1 and ,i1 being about to    
depart1 asked the carpenter if he were a
 married man1 and whether he were a     
relation of the parents of the child4   
,he said he was neither4 ',well1 then1' 
said ,i1 you merit the gratitude of     
every father and mother in the world1   
and ,i will show you mine by giving you 
what ,i have1-- pulling out the nine or 
ten dollars which ,i had in my pocket4  
',no1 ,i thank you1 sir1' said he1 ',i  
have only done what it was my duty to   
do4'  ,bravery1 disinterestedness1 and  
maternal affection surpassing these it  

is impossible to imagine4 ,the mother   
was going right in amongst the feet of  
these powerful and wild horses1 and     
amongst the wheels of the wagons4 ,she  
had no thought for herself2 no feeling  
of fear for her own life2 her shriek was
 the sound of inexpressible joy1 joy too
 great for her to support herself under4
  ,now1 can you conceive a more         
ungrateful wretch1 than that boy would  
be1 if he should grow up1 not to love or
 obey his mother8 ,she was willing to   
die for him4 ,she was willing to run    
directly under the feet of those        
ferocious horses1 that she might save   
his life4 ,and if he has one particle of
 generosity in his bosom1 he will do    
every thing in his power to make her    
happy4  ,but your mother loves you as   
well as did that mother love her child4 
,she is as willing to expose herself to 
danger and to death4 ,and can you ever  
bear the thought of causing grief to her
 whose love is so strong2 whose kindness
 is so great8 ,it does appear to me that

 the generous-hearted boy1 who thinks of
 these things1 will resolve to be his   
mother's joy and blessing4  ,a few years
 ago a child was lost in one of those   
vast plains in the west1 called         
prairies4 ,a gentleman who was engaged  
in the search for the child1 thus       
describes the scene4 ,it forcibly shows 
the strength of a mother's love4  ,in   
the year #ahba ,i was stationed on the  
,mad ,river circuit4 ,you know there are
 extensive prairies in that part of the 
state4 ,in places1 there are no         
dwellings within miles of each other2   
and animals of prey are often seen      
there4 ,one evening1 late in autumn1 a  
few of the neighbors were assembled     
around me1 in one of those solitary     
dwellings1 and we had got well engaged  
in the worship of ,god1 when it was     
announced that the child of a widow was 
lost in the prairie4 ,it was cold2 the  
wind blew2 and some rain was falling4   
,the poor woman was in agony1 and our   
meeting was broken up4 ,all prepared to 

go in search of the lost child4 ,the    
company understood the business better  
than ,i did1 for they had been bred in  
those extensive barrens2 and occurrences
 like the present are1 probably1 not    
unfrequent among them4 ,they equipped   
themselves with lanterns and torches1   
for it was quite dark2 and tin horns1 to
 give signals to different parts of the 
company1 when they should become widely 
separated4 ,for my part1 ,i thought duty
 required that ,i should take charge of 
the unhappy mother4 ,she was nearly     
frantic2 and as time permitted her to   
view her widowed and childless          
condition1 and the circumstances of the 
probable death of her child1 her misery 
seemed to double upon her4 ,she took my 
arm2 the company divided into parties2  
and1 taking different directions1 we    
commenced the search4 ,the understanding
 was1 that1 when the child should be    
found1 a certain wind of the horn should
 be made1 and that all who should hear  
it should repeat the signal4 ,in this   

way all the company would receive the   
information4  ,the prospect of finding a
 lost child in those extensive prairies1
 would1 at any time1 be sufficiently    
discouraging4 ,the difficulty must be   
greatly increased by a dark1 rainy      
night4 ,we travelled many miles1 and to 
a late hour4 ,at length we became       
satisfied that further search would be  
unavailing2 and all but the mother      
determined to return home4 ,it was an   
idea she could not1 for a moment1       
endure4 ,she would hear of nothing but  
further search4 ,her strength1 at last1 
began to fail her1 and ,i prevailed on  
her to return to her abode4 ,as she     
turned her face from further search1 and
 gave up her child as lost1 her misery  
was almost too great for endurance4 ',my
 child1' said she1 'has been devoured by
 a wild beast2 his little limbs have    
been torn asunder2 and his blood been   
drunk by the hideous monster1'--and the 
idea was agony4 ,as she clung to my arm1
 it seemed as if her heart-strings would

 break4 ,at times ,i had almost to      
support her in my arms1 to prevent her  
falling to the earth4  ,as we proceeded 
on our way back1 ,i thought ,i heard1 at
 a great distance1 the sound of a horn4 
,we stopped1 and listened3 it was       
repeated4 ,it was the concerted signal4 
,the child was found4 ,and what were the
 feelings of the mother6 ,language      
cannot describe them4 ,such is the      
strength of maternal affection4 ,and can
 a child be so hard- hearted as not to  
love a mother8 ,is there any thing which
 can be more ungrateful than to grieve  
one who loves you so ardently1 and who  
has done so much for you8 ,if there be  
any crime which in the sight of ,god is 
greater than all others1 it appears to  
me it must be the abuse of parents4 ,if 
the spirit of a demon dwells in any     
human breast1 it must be in that breast 
which is thankless for parental favors1 
and which can requite that love1 which  
watched over our infancy and protected  
our helpless years1 with ingratitude and

 disrespect4    ,,chapter ,v4           
,,religious ,,truth4    ,in this chapter
 ,i shall take up the subject of        
religion4 ,that you may understand your 
duties1 it is important that you should 
first understand your own character in  
the sight of ,god4 ,i can1 perhaps1 make
 this plain to you by the following     
illustration3  ,a few years since a ship
 sailed from ,england to explore the    
,northern ,ocean4 ,as it was a voyage of
 no common danger to face the storms and
 the tempests of those icy seas1 a crew 
of experienced seamen was obtained1 and 
placed under the guidance of a commander
 of long-tried skill4 ,as the ship      
sailed from an ,english port1 in        
pleasant weather and with favorable     
breezes1 all was harmony on board1 and  
every man was obedient to the lawful    
commander4 ,as weeks passed away1 and   
they pressed forward on the wide waste  
of waters1 there were occasional acts of
 neglect of duty4 ,still the commander  
retained his authority4 ,no one ventured

 to refuse to be in subjection to him1  
,but as the ship advanced farther and   
farther into those unexplored regions1  
new toils and dangers stared them in the
 face4 ,the cold blasts of those wintry 
regions chilled their limbs4 ,mountains 
of ice1 dashed about by the tempests1   
threatened destruction to the ship and  
to the crew4 ,as far as the eye could   
reach1 a dreary view of chilling waves  
and of floating ice warned them of      
dangers1 from which no earthly power    
could extricate them4 ,the ship was far 
away from home1 and in regions which had
 been seldom1 if ever1 seen by mortal   
eyes4 ,the boldest were at times        
appalled by the dangers1 both seen and  
unseen1 which were clustering around    
them4 ,under these circumstances the    
spirit of revolt broke out among that   
ship's crew4 ,they resolved that they   
would no longer be in subjection to     
their commander4 ,they rose together in 
rebellion3 deprived him of his          
authority1 and took the control of the  

ship into their own hands4 ,they then   
placed their captain in an open boat1   
and throwing in to him a few articles of
 provision1 they turned him adrift upon 
that wide and cheerless ocean1 and he   
never was heard of more4 ,appointing one
 of their number as commander1 they     
turned the ship in a different          
direction1 and regulated all their      
movements by their own pleasure4 ,after 
this revolt1 things went on pretty much 
as before4 ,they had deprived their     
lawful commander of his authority and   
elevated another to occupy his place4 ,a
 stranger would1 perhaps1 have perceived
 no material difference1 after this     
change1 in the conduct of the crew4 ,the
 preservation of their own lives        
rendered it necessary that the          
established rules of naval discipline   
should be observed4 ,by night the       
watches were regularly set and relieved 
as before4 ,the helmsman performed his  
accustomed duty1 and the sails were     
spread to the winds1 or furled in the   

tempest1 as occasion required4 ,but     
still they were all guilty of mutiny4   
,they had refused to submit to their    
lawful commander4 ,consequently1 by the 
laws of their country1 they were all    
condemned to be hung4 ,the faithful     
discharge of the necessary duties of    
each day after their revolt1 did not in 
the least free them from blame4 ,the    
crime of which they were guilty1 and for
 which they deserved the severest       
punishment1 was the refusal to submit to
 authority4  ,now1 our situation is very
 similar to that of this rebellious     
crew4 ,the ,bible tells us that we have 
said in our hearts that we will not have
 ,god to reign over us4 ,instead of     
living in entire obedience to him1 we   
have chosen to serve ourselves4 ,the    
accusation which ,god has against us1 is
 not that we occasionally transgress his
 laws1 but that we refuse to regard him1
 at all times and under all             
circumstances1 as our ruler4 ,sometimes 
children think that if they do not tell 

lies1 and if they obey their parents1 it
 is all that ,god requires of them4     
,this1 however1 is by no means the case4
 ,god requires of us not only to do our 
duty to our parents1 and to those around
 us1 but also to love him with our most 
ardent affection1 and to endeavor at all
 times to do that which will be pleasing
 to him4 ,while the mutinous seamen had 
command of the ship1 they might have    
been kind to one another2 they might1   
with unwearied care and attention1 have 
watched over the sick4 ,they might1 with
 the utmost fidelity1 have conformed to 
the rules of naval discipline1 seeing   
that every rope was properly adjusted1  
and that cleanliness and order should   
pervade every department4 ,but          
notwithstanding all this1 their guilt   
was undiminished4 ,they had refused     
obedience to their commander1 and for   
this they were exposed to the penalty of
 that law which doomed them to death4   
,it is the same with us4 ,we may be kind
 to one another2 we may be free from    

guile2 we may be faithful in the        
discharge of the ordinary duties of     
life2 yet1 if we are not in subjection  
to ,god1 we are justly exposed to the   
penalty of his law4 ,what would have    
been thought of one of those mutinous   
seamen1 if1 when brought before the bar 
of his country1 he had pleaded in his   
defence1 that1 after the revolt1 he had 
been faithful to his new commander8     
,would any person have regarded that as 
an extenuation of his sin8 ,no6 ,he     
would at once have been led to the      
scaffold4 ,and the voice of an indignant
 public would have said that he suffered
 justly for his crime4  ,let us imagine 
one of the mutineers in a court of      
justice1 and urging the following       
excuses to the judge4  ,judge4--,you    
have been accused of mutiny1 and are    
found guilty2 and now what have you to  
say why sentence of death should not be 
pronounced against you8  ,criminal4--,to
 be sure ,i did help place the captain  
in the boat and turn him adrift2 but    

then ,i was no worse than the others4 ,i
 did only as the rest did4              
,judge4--,the fact that others were     
equally guilty1 is no excuse for you4   
,you are to be judged by your own       
conduct4  ,criminal4--,well1 it is very 
unjust that ,i should be punished1 for  
,i was one of the hardest-working men on
 board the ship4 ,no one can say that   
they ever saw me idle1 or that ,i ever  
refused to perform any duty1 however    
dangerous4  ,judge4--,you are not on    
trial for idleness1 but for refusing    
obedience to your commander4            
,criminal4--,i was a very moral man4 ,no
 one ever heard me use a profane word2  
and in my conduct and actions1 ,i was   
civil to all my shipmates4              
,judge4--,you are not accused of        
profanity1 or of impoliteness4 ,the     
charge for which you are arraigned1 is  
that you have rebelled against lawful   
authority4 ,of this you have been proved
 to be guilty2 and for this ,i must now 
proceed to pass the penalty of the law4 

,criminal4--,but1 may it please your    
honor1 ,i was a very benevolent man4    
,one night one of my shipmates was sick1
 and ,i watched all the night long at   
his hammock4 ,and after we placed the   
captain in the boat1 and cut him adrift1
 ,i threw in a bag of biscuit1 that he  
might have some food4  ,judge4--,if your
 benevolence had shown itself in        
defending your commander1 and in        
obedience to his authority1 you might   
now be rewarded2 but you are guilty of  
mutiny1 and must be hung4               
,criminal4--,there was no man on board  
the ship more useful than ,i was4 ,and  
after we had turned the captain adrift1 
we must all have perished if it had not 
been for me1 for no one else understood 
navigation4 ,i have a good education1   
and did everything ,i could to instruct 
my shipmates1 and to make them skilful  
seamen4  ,judge4--,you are then the most
 guilty of the whole rebellious crew4   
,you knew your duty better than the     
rest1 and are more inexcusable in not   

being faithful4 ,it appears by your own 
confession1 that your education was     
good2 that your influence was extensive2
 and that you had been taught those     
duties which man owes his fellow man4   
,this does not extenuate1 but increases 
your guilt4 ,many of your shipmates were
 ignorant1 and were confirmed in their  
rebellion by your example4 ,they had    
never been taught those moral and social
 duties which had been impressed upon   
your mind4 ,that you could have been so 
ungrateful1 so treacherous1 so cruel as 
to engage in this revolt1 justly exposes
 you to the severest penalty of the law4
 ,i therefore proceed to pronounce upon 
you the sentence which your crimes      
deserve4 ,you will be led from this     
place to the deepest and strongest      
dungeon of the prison2 there to be      
confined till you are led to the        
gallows1 and there to be hung by the    
neck till you are dead2 and may ,god    
have mercy upon your soul4  ,now1 who   
would not declare that this sentence is 

just8 ,and who does not see the         
absurdity of the excuses which the      
guilty man offered8  ,so it is with you1
 my young reader4 ,it is your duty1 at  
all times1 to be obedient to ,god4 ,the 
charge which ,god brings against us1 is1
 that we have refused to obey him4 ,for 
this we deserve that penalty which ,god 
has threatened against rebellion4 ,if we
 love our parents ever so ardently1 it  
will not save us1 unless we also love   
,god4 ,if we are ever so kind to those  
around us1 it will not secure ,god's    
approbation1 unless we are also obedient
 to him4 ,if our conduct is so correct  
that no one can accuse us of what is    
called an immoral act1 it will be of no 
avail1 unless we are also living with   
faith in the promises of ,god1 and with 
persevering efforts to do his will4 ,and
 we shall be as foolish as was the      
guilty mutineer1 if we expect that any  
such excuses will save us from the      
penalty of his law4  ,we cannot1 by any 
fidelity in the discharge of the common 

duties of life1 atone for the neglect to
 love and serve our ,maker4 ,we have    
broken away from his authority4 ,we     
follow our own inclinations1 and are    
obedient to the directions of others1   
rather than to those of our ,maker4 ,the
 fact is1 that the duties we owe ,god   
and our fellow men are not to be        
separated4 ,god expects the child in the
 morning to acknowledge his dependence  
upon his ,maker1 and to pray for        
assistance to do that which is right1   
during all the hours of the day4 ,and he
 expects you1 when the evening comes1 to
 thank him for all his goodness1 and    
solemnly to promise1 all your days1 to  
be obedient to his authority4 ,you must 
not only love your parents1 but you must
 also love your ,god4 ,you must try to  
have your words and your thoughts pure1 
and all your conduct holy4 ,now1 when   
you look back upon your past lives1 and 
when you examine your present feelings1 
do you not see that you have not obeyed 
,god in all your ways8 ,not only have   

you had wicked thoughts1 and at times   
been disobedient to your parents1 but   
you have not made it the great object of
 your life to serve your ,maker4  ,god  
now desires to have you obedient to him4
 ,he loves you1 and wishes to see you   
happy4 ,he has for this purpose sent his
 ,son into the world to die for your    
sins1 and to lead you to piety and      
peace4 ,the ,savior now asks you to     
repent of sin and love him1 that1 when  
you die1 you may be received to heaven1 
and be happy for ever4 ,you perhaps     
remember the passage of ,scripture found
 in ,rev4 #c3b1 ,behold1 ,i stand at the
 door1 and knock2 if any man hear my    
voice1 and open the door1 ,i will come  
in to him1 and sup with him1 and he with
 me4 ,by this he expresses his desire   
that we should receive him to our       
hearts4  ,one of the most affecting     
scenes described by the pen of the most 
eloquent of writers1 is1 that of an aged
 father driven from his home by         
ungrateful and hard-hearted children4   

,the broken-hearted man is represented  
as standing by the door of his own      
house1 in a dark and tempestuous night1 
with his gray locks streaming in the    
wind1 and his head unprotected to the   
fury of the storm4 ,there he stands1    
drenched with the rain1 and shivering   
with the cold4 ,but the door is barred1 
and the shutters are closed4 ,his       
daughters hear the trembling voice of   
their aged parent1 but refuse him       
admission4 ,their flinty hearts remain  
unmoved4 ,the darkness increases2 the   
tempest rages2 the rain falls in        
torrents1 and the wind howls most       
fearfully4 ,the voice of their father   
grows feebler and feebler1 as the storm 
spends its fury upon him4 ,but nothing  
can touch the sympathies of his         
unnatural children4 ,they will not open 
the door to him4 ,at last1 grief1 and   
the pangs of disappointed hope1 break   
the father's heart4 ,he looks at the    
black and lowering clouds above him1    
and1 in the phrensy of his distracted   

mind1 invites the increasing fury of the
 storm4 ,and still those wretched       
children refuse to receive him to their 
fireside1 but leave him to wander in the
 darkness and the cold4  ,the           
representation of this scene1 as        
described by the pen of ,shakspeare1 has
 brought tears into millions of eyes4   
,the tragedy of ,king ,lear and his     
wretched daughters is known throughout  
the civilized world4 ,what heart is not 
indignant at such treatment8 ,who does  
not abhor the conduct of these unnatural
 children8  ,our blessed ,savior        
represents himself as taking a similar  
attitude before the hearts of his       
children4 ,he has presented himself at  
the door of your heart1 and can you     
refuse him admission8 ,behold1 says he1 
,i stand at the door and knock4 ,but we1
 with a hardness of heart which has     
triumphed over greater blessings1 and is
 consequently more inexcusable than that
 of the daughters of ,king ,lear1 refuse
 to love him1 and to receive him as our 

friend4 ,he entreats admission4 ,he asks
 to enter and be with you and you with  
him1 that you may be happy4 ,and there  
he has stood for days1 and months1 and  
years1 and you receive him not4 ,could  
we see our own conduct in the light in  
which we behold the conduct of others1  
we should be confounded with the sense  
of our guilt4  ,is there a child who    
reads this book1 who has not at times   
felt the importance of loving the       
,savior8 ,when you felt these serious   
impressions1 ,christ was pleading for   
admission to your heart4 ,you have1     
perhaps1 been sick1 and feared that you 
were about to die4 ,and1 oh1 how        
ardently did you then wish that the     
,savior were your friend6 ,perhaps you  
have seen a brother or a sister die3 you
 wept over your companion1 as her cheek 
daily grew more pale1 and she drew      
nearer and nearer to death4 ,and when   
she ceased to breathe1 and her limbs    
were cold and lifeless1 you wept as     
though your heart would break4 ,and when

 you saw her placed in the coffin and   
carried to the grave1 how earnestly did 
you desire to be prepared to die        
yourself6 ,oh1 how did the world seem   
then to you6 ,this was the way the      
,savior took to reach your heart4 ,when 
on earth1 he said1 ,suffer little       
children to come unto me1 and forbid    
them not4 ,and now he endeavors1 in many
 ways1 to induce you to turn to him4    
,sometimes he makes you happy1 that his 
goodness may excite your love4 ,when he 
sees that in happiness you are most     
prone to forget him1 he sends sorrow and
 trouble1 under which your spirits sink1
 and this world appears gloomy1 and you 
are led to look forward to a happier one
 to come4 ,and does it not seem very    
ungrateful that you should resist all   
this kindness and care1 and continue to 
refuse to submit yourself to him8 ,you  
think the daughters of ,king ,lear were 
very cruel4 ,indeed they were2 but not  
so cruel as you4 ,their father had been 
kind to them1 but not so kind as your   

,savior has been to you4 ,he stood long 
at the door and knocked1 but not so long
 as the ,savior has stood at the door of
 your heart4 ,it is in vain that we look
 to find an instance of ingratitude     
equal to that manifested by the sinner  
who rejects the ,savior4 ,and it is1    
indeed1 melancholy to think1 that any   
child could be so hard-hearted4  ,it is 
strange that any person can resist the  
love which ,god has manifested for us4  
,he has sent angels with messages of    
mercy1 and invitations to his home in   
heaven4 ,he sent his ,son to die that we
 might be saved from everlasting sorrow4
 ,he has provided a world of beauty and 
of glory1 far surpassing any thing we   
can conceive1 to which he invites us1   
and where he will make us happy for     
ever4 ,and we are informed that all the 
angels in heaven are so much interested 
in our welfare1 that there is joy in the
 presence of the angels of ,god over one
 sinner that repenteth4 ,it is indeed   
wonderful that the holy and happy angels

 above should feel so deep an interest  
in our concerns4 ,but1 oh1 how          
surpassingly strange it is1 that we feel
 so little for ourselves6  ,it is kind  
in ,god that he will not let the wicked 
enter heaven4 ,he loves his holy        
children there too well1 to allow the   
wicked to enter and trouble them1 and   
destroy their peace4 ,there was a little
 girl once1 who had a party of her      
companions to spend the evening with    
her4 ,they were all playing very happily
 in the parlor1 when a drunken man      
happened to go by4 ,as he heard their   
voices1 he came staggering up to the    
door1 and tried to get in4 ,all the     
girls were very much frightened1 for    
fear the degraded wretch would get into 
the parlor4 ,but the gentleman of the   
house told them not to be frightened4   
,he assured them that the man should not
 come in1 and though it was a cold      
winter's night1 he went out and drove   
him away4 ,now1 was not this gentleman  
kind thus to protect these children8    

,suppose a wicked man1 or a lost spirit1
 should go to the gates of heaven and   
try to enter there4 ,do you suppose that
 ,god would let him in8 ,would not ,god 
be as kind to the angels as an earthly  
father to his earthly children8 ,every  
angel in heaven would cry to ,god for   
protection1 if they should see the      
wicked approaching that happy world4    
,and ,god shows his love1 by declaring  
that the wicked shall never enter there4
   ,those holy gates for ever bar       
,pollution1 sin and shame2 ,none shall  
obtain admittance there1 ,but followers 
of the ,lamb4   ,it is not because ,god 
is unkind and cruel that he shuts up the
 wicked in the world of wo4 ,he does    
this because he loves his children1 and1
 like a kind father1 determines to      
protect them from oppression and sorrow4
 ,the bright wings of the angel glitter 
in the heavenly world4 ,pure joy glows  
in the bosoms of the blest4 ,love unites
 them all1 as they swell their songs1   
and take their flight4 ,in their home1  

the wicked cease from troubling1 and the
 weary are for ever at rest4  ,a few    
years since1 there was a certain family 
which was united and happy4 ,the father 
and mother looked upon the children who 
surrounded their fireside1 and beheld   
them all virtuous in their conduct1 and 
affectionate towards one another4 ,their
 evening sports went on harmoniously1   
and those children were preparing1 in   
their beloved home1 for future virtues  
and usefulness4 ,but1 at last1 one of   
the sons became dissipated4 ,he went on 
from step to step in vice1 till he      
became a degraded wretch4 ,his father   
and mother wept over his sins1 and did  
everything in their power to reclaim    
him4 ,all was in vain4 ,every day he    
grew worse4 ,his brothers and sisters   
found all the happiness-of their home   
destroyed by his wickedness4 ,the family
 was disgraced by him1 and they were all
 in sorrow and tears4 ,one evening he   
was brought home so intoxicated that he 
was apparently lifeless4 ,his poor      

broken-hearted mother saw him conveyed  
in this disgraceful condition to his    
bed4 ,at another time1 when his parents 
were absent1 he came home1 in the       
evening1 in a state of intoxication     
bordering on phrensy4 ,he raved about   
the house like a madman4 ,he swore the  
most shocking oaths4 ,enraged with one  
of his sisters1 he seized a chair1 and  
would have struck her1 perhaps1 a fatal 
blow1 if she had not escaped by flight4 
,the parents of this child felt that    
such things could no longer be          
permitted1 and told him that1 if there  
was not an immediate reformation in his 
conduct1 they should forbid him to enter
 their house4 ,but entreaties and       
warnings were alike in vain4 ,he        
continued his disgraceful career4 ,his  
father1 perceiving that amendment was   
hopeless1 and that he was1 by remaining 
at home1 imbittering every moment of the
 family1 and loading them with disgrace1
 sent his son to sea1 and told him never
 to return till he could come back      

improved in character4 ,to protect his  
remaining children1 it was necessary for
 him to send the dissolute one away4    
,now1 was this father cruel1 in thus    
endeavoring to promote the peace and the
 happiness of his family8 ,was it unkind
 in him to resolve to make his virtuous 
children happy1 by excluding the vicious
 and the degraded8 ,no6 ,every one sees 
that this is the dictate of paternal    
love4 ,if he had been a cruel father--if
 he had had no regard for his children1 
he would have allowed this abandoned son
 to have remained1 and conducted as he  
pleased4 ,he would have made no effort  
to protect his children1 and to promote 
their joy4  ,and is it not kind in our  
heavenly ,father to resolve that those  
who will not obey his laws shall be for 
ever excluded from heaven8 ,he loves his
 virtuous and obedient children1 and    
will make them perfectly happy4 ,he     
never will permit the wicked to mar     
their joys and degrade their home4 ,if  
,god were an unkind being1 he would let 

the wicked go to heaven4 ,he would have 
no prison to detain them4 ,he would     
leave the good unprotected and exposed  
to abase from the bad4 ,but ,god is     
love4 ,he never thus will abandon his   
children4 ,he has provided a strong     
prison1 with dungeons deep and dark1    
where he will hold the wicked1 so that  
they cannot escape4 ,the angels in      
heaven have nothing to fear from wicked 
men1 or wicked angels4 ,god will protect
 his children from all harm4  ,our      
,father in heaven is now inviting all of
 us to repent of our sins1 and to       
cultivate a taste for the joys of       
heaven4 ,he wishes to take us to his own
 happy home1 and make us loved members  
of his own affectionate family4 ,and    
every angel in heaven rejoices1 when he 
sees the humblest child repent of sin   
and turn to ,god4 ,but if we will not be
 obedient to his laws2 if we will not   
cultivate in our hearts those feelings  
of fervent love which glow and burn in  
the angel's bosom2 if we will not here  

on earth learn the language of prayer   
and praise1 ,god assures us that we     
never can be admitted to mingle with his
 happy family above4 ,would not ,god be 
very unkind to allow the wicked and     
impenitent to enter in and mar their    
joys8 ,the angels are happy to welcome a
 returning wanderer4 ,but if they should
 see an unsubdued spirit directing his  
flight towards heaven1 they all would   
pray to ,god that he might not be       
permitted to enter1 to throw discord    
into their songs1 and sorrow into their 
hearts4 ,god is love4 ,he will keep     
heaven pure and happy4 ,all who will be 
obedient to him1 he will gladly elevate 
to walk the streets of the ,new         
,jerusalem1 and to inhabit the mansions 
which he has built4  ,but those who will
 not submit to his authority must be    
shut out for ever4 ,if we do not yield  
to the warnings and entreaties which now
 come to us from ,god1 we must hear the 
sentence1 ,depart from me1--,i know you 
not4 ,god uses all the means which he   

deems proper to reclaim us2 and when he 
finds that we are incorrigible1 then    
does he close upon us the doors of our  
prison1 that we never may escape4  ,if  
,god cared not for the happiness of his 
children1 he would break these laws2 he 
would tear down this prison2 he would   
turn all its guilty inmates loose upon  
the universe1 to rove and to desolate at
 their pleasure4 ,but1 blessed be ,god1 
he is love2 and the brightness and glory
 of heaven never can be marred by the   
entrance of sin4 ,in hell's dreary      
abyss1 the wretched outcasts from heaven
 will find their secure and eternal     
abiding place4 ,where do you wish to    
have your home8 with the virtuous and   
happy in heaven1 or with the vicious and
 miserable in the world of wo8 ,now is  
the time to decide4 ,but life will soon 
be gone4 ,as we die1 we shall continue  
for ever4   ,there are no acts of pardon
 passed ,in the cold grave to which we  
haste4   ,god1 in this world1 makes use 
of all those means which he thinks      

calculated to affect your feelings and  
to incline you to his service4 ,you now 
hear of the love of ,jesus1 and feel the
 strivings of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,you   
are surrounded by many who love the     
,savior1 and enjoy all the precious     
privileges of the ,bible and the        
,sabbath4 ,god speaks to you in         
afflictions and enjoyments1 and tries   
ways without number to reclaim you to   
himself4 ,if you can resist all this1   
your case is hopeless4 ,in the world of 
wo there will be no one to plead with   
you the wonders of a ,savior's love4    
,you will feel no strivings of the      
,spirit4 ,no ,christian friends will    
surround you with their sympathies and  
their prayers4 ,the ,sabbath will no    
longer dawn upon you1 and the ,bible    
will no longer entreat you to turn to   
the ,lord4 ,if you can resist all the   
motives to repentance which this life   
affords1 you are proof against all the  
means which ,god sees fit to adopt4 ,if 
you die impenitent1 you will for ever   

remain impenitent1 and go on            
unrestrained in passion and wo4 ,the    
word of ,god has declared that1 at the  
day of judgment our doom will be fixed  
for ever4 ,the wicked shall then go into
 everlasting punishment1 and the        
righteous to life eternal4 ,the bars of 
the sinner's prison will never be       
broken4 ,the glories of the saint's     
abode will never be sullied4  ,a few    
years since1 a child was lost in the    
woods4 ,he was out1 with his brothers   
and sisters1 gathering berries1 and     
accidentally was separated from them and
 lost4 ,the children1 after looking in  
vain for some time in search of the     
little wanderer1 returned just in the   
dusk of the evening1 to inform their    
parents that their brother was lost1 and
 could not be found4 ,the woods at that 
time were infested with bears4 ,the     
darkness of a cloudy night was rapidly  
coming on1 and the alarmed father1      
gathering a few of his neighbors1       
hastened in search of the lost child4   

,the mother remained at home1 almost    
distracted with suspense4 ,as the clouds
 gathered and the darkness increased1   
the father and the neighbors1 with      
highly-excited fears1 traversed the     
woods in all directions1 and raised loud
 shouts to attract the attention of the 
child4 ,but their search was in vain4   
,they could find no traces of the       
wanderer2 and as they stood under the   
boughs of the lofty trees1 and listened1
 that if possible they might hear his   
feeble voice1 no sound was borne to     
their ears but the melancholy moaning of
 the wind as it swept through the thick 
branches of the forest4 ,the gathering  
clouds threatened an approaching storm1 
and the deep darkness of the night had  
already enveloped them4 ,it is difficult
 to conceive what were the feelings of  
that father4 ,and who could imagine how 
deep the agony which filled the bosom of
 that mother as she heard the wind1 and 
beheld the darkness in which her child  
was wandering6 ,the search continued in 

vain till nine o'clock in the evening4  
,then one of the party was sent back to 
the village to collect the inhabitants  
for a more extensive search4 ,the bell  
rung the alarm1 and the cry of fire     
resounded through the streets4 ,it was1 
however1 ascertained that it was not    
fire which caused the alarm1 but that   
the bell tolled the more solemn tidings 
of a lost child4 ,every heart           
sympathized in the sorrows of the       
distracted parents4 ,soon the multitudes
 of the people were seen ascending the  
hill upon the declivity of which the    
village was situated1 to aid in the     
search4 ,ere long the rain began to     
fall1 but no tidings came back to the   
village of the lost child4 ,hardly an   
eye was that night closed in sleep1 and 
there was not a mother who did not feel 
for the agonized parents4 ,the night    
passed away1 and the morning dawned1 and
 yet no tidings came4 ,at last those    
engaged in the search met together and  
held a cousultation4 ,they made         

arrangements for a more minute and      
extended search1 and agreed that in case
 the child was found1 a gun should be   
fired to give a signal to the rest of   
the party4 ,as the sun arose1 the clouds
 were dispelled1 and the whole landscape
 glittered in the rays of the bright    
morning4 ,but that village was deserted 
and still4 ,the stores were closed1 and 
business was hushed4 ,mothers were      
walking the streets with sympathising   
countenances and anxious hearts4 ,there 
was but one thought there--,what has    
become of the lost child8 ,all the      
affections and interest of the community
 were flowing in one deep and broad     
channel towards the little wanderer4    
,about nine in the morning the signal   
gun was fired1 which announced that the 
child was found2 and for a moment how   
dreadful was the suspense6 ,was it found
 a mangled corpse1 or was it alive and  
well8 ,soon a joyful shout proclaimed   
the safety of the child4 ,the  shout was
 borne from tongue to tongue1 till the  

whole forest rung again with the joyful 
acclamations of the multitude4 ,a       
commissioned messenger rapidly bore the 
tidings to the distracted mother4 ,a    
procession was immediately formed by    
those engaged in the search4 ,the child 
was placed upon a platform1 hastily     
constructed from the boughs of trees1   
and borne in triumph at the head of the 
procession4 ,when they arrived at the   
brow of the hill1 they rested for a     
moment1 and proclaimed their success    
with three loud and animated cheers4    
,the procession then moved on1 till they
 arrived in front of the dwelling where 
the parents of the child resided4 ,the  
mother1 who stood at the door1 with     
streaming eyes and throbbing heart1     
could no longer restrain herself or her 
feelings4 ,she rushed into the street1  
clasped her child to her bosom1 and wept
 aloud4 ,every eye was suffused with    
tears1 and for a moment all were silent4
 ,but suddenly some one gave a signal   
for a shout4 ,one loud1 and long1 and   

happy note of joy rose from the         
assembled multitude1 and they then      
dispersed to their business and their   
homes4  ,there was more joy over the one
 child that was found than over the     
ninety and nine that went not astray4   
,likewise there is joy in the presence  
of the angels of ,god over one sinner   
that repenteth4 ,but still this is a    
feeble representation of the love of our
 ,father in heaven for us1 and of the   
joy with which the angels welcome the   
returning wanderer4 ,the mother cannot  
feel for her child that is lost as ,god 
feels for the unhappy wanderers in the  
paths of sin4 ,the child was exposed to 
a few hours of suffering2 the sinner to 
eternal despair4 ,the child was in      
danger of being torn by the claws and   
the teeth of the bear--a pang which     
would be but for a moment2 but the      
sinner must feel the ravages of the     
never-dying worm1 must be exposed to the
 fury of the inextinguishable flame4    
,oh1 if a mother can feel so much1 what 

must be the feelings of our ,father in  
heaven6 ,if man can feel so deep a      
sympathy1 what must be the emotions     
which glow in the bosoms of angels6     
,such is the nature of the feelings with
 which we are regarded by our heavenly  
,father and the holy angels4  ,many     
parables are introduced in the ,bible to
 illustrate this feeling on the part of 
,god4 ,he compares himself with the kind
 shepherd1 who1 finding that one little 
lamb had strayed from the flock1 left   
the ninety and nine and went in search  
of the lost one4 ,he illustrates this   
feeling by that of the woman who had    
lost a piece of silver1 and immediately 
lit a candle and swept the house        
diligently1 till she found it4 ,in like 
manner1 we are informed1 that it is not 
the will of our ,father who is in       
heaven1 that one of his little ones     
should perish4 ,he has manifested the   
most astonishing love and kindness that 
he might make us happy4  ,but what      
greater proof of love can we have than  

that which ,god has given in the gift of
 his ,son6 ,that you might be saved from
 sin and ceaseless wo1 ,jesus came and  
died4 ,he came to the world1 and placed 
himself in poverty1 and was overwhelmed 
with sorrow1 that he might induce you to
 accept salvation1 and to be happy for  
ever in heaven4 ,the ,savior was born in
 a stable4 ,when an infant1 his life was
 sought4 ,his parents were compelled to 
flee out of the country1 that they might
 save him from a violent death4 ,as he  
grew up1 he was friendless and forsaken4
 ,he went about from town to town1 and  
from village to village1 doing good to  
all4 ,he visited the sick1 and healed   
them4 ,he went to the poor and the      
afflicted1 and comforted them4 ,he took 
little children in his arms1 and blessed
 them4 ,he injured no one1 and          
endeavored to do good to all4 ,and yet  
he was persecuted1 and insulted1 and    
abused4 ,again and again he was         
compelled to flee for his life4 ,they   
took up stones to stone him4 ,they hired

 false witnesses to accuse him4 ,at last
 they took him by night1 as he was in a 
garden praying4 ,a cruel multitude came 
and took him by force1 and carried him  
into a large hall4 ,they then surrounded
 our blessed ,savior1 and heaped upon   
him all manner of insult and abuse4     
,they mocked him4 ,they collected some  
thorns1 and made a crown1 which they    
forced upon his head1 pressing the sharp
 thorns into his flesh1 till the blood  
flowed down upon his hair and his       
cheeks4 ,and after thus passing the     
whole night1 he was led out to the hill 
of ,calvary1 tottering beneath the heavy
 burden of the cross1 which he was      
compelled to bear upon his own          
shoulders1 and to which he was to be    
nailed4 ,when they arrived at the place 
of crucifixion1 they drove the nails    
through his hands and his feet4 ,the    
cross was then fixed in the ground1 and 
the ,savior1 thus cruelly suspended1 was
 exposed to the loud and contemptuous   
shouts of an insulting mob4 ,the morning

 air was filled with their loud         
execrations4 ,a soldier came and thrust 
a spear deep into his side4 ,to quench  
his burning thirst1 they gave him       
vinegar1 mixed with gall4 ,thus did our 
,savior die4 ,he endured all this1 from 
the cradle to the grave1 that he might  
save sinners4 ,and when he1 while       
enduring the agony of the cross1 cried  
out1 ,my ,god1 my ,god1 why hast thou   
forsaken me8 he was then suffering those
 sorrows which you must otherwise have  
suffered4 ,if it had not been for our   
,savior's sorrows and death1 there would
 have been no help for any sinner4 ,you 
never could have entered heaven4 ,you   
must for ever have endured the penalty  
of that law which saith1 ,the soul that 
sinneth1 it shall die4 ,was there ever  
such love as this8 ,and1 oh1 must not   
that child's heart be hard1 who will not
 love such a ,savior1 and who will not  
do all in his power to prove his        
gratitude by a holy and an obedient     
life8 ,christ so loves you1 that he was 

willing to die the most cruel of deaths1
 that he might make you happy4 ,he is   
now in heaven1 preparing mansions of    
glory for all those who will accept him 
as their ,savior1 and obey his law4 ,and
 where is the child who does not wish to
 have this ,savior for his friend1 and  
to have a home in heaven8  ,the ,holy   
,spirit is promised to aid you in all   
your efforts to resist sin4 ,if1 when   
the power of temptation is strong1 you  
will look to him for aid1 he will give  
you strength to resist4 ,thus is duty   
made easy1 ,god loves you4 ,angels      
desire that you should come to heaven4  
,jesus has died to save you4 ,the ,holy 
,spirit is ready to aid you in every    
,christian effort1 and to lead you on1  
victorious over sin4 ,how unreasonable1 
then1 and how ungrateful it is1 for any 
child to refuse to love ,god1 and to    
prepare to enter the angels' home6      
,there you can be happy4 ,no night is   
there4 ,no sickness or sorrow can ever  
reach you there4 ,glory will fill your  

eye4 ,joy will fill your heart4 ,you    
will be an angel yourself1 and shine in 
all the purity and in all the bliss of  
the angels' happy home4    ,,chapter    
,,vi4    ,,piety4    ,in the last       
chapter ,i have endeavored to show you  
in what your sin principally consists2  
and also the interest which ,god feels  
in your happiness1 and the sacrifice he 
has made to lead you to penitence and to
 heaven4 ,but you desire more particular
 information respecting the duties which
 ,god requires of you4 ,i shall in this 
chapter explain the requirements of     
,god2 and show you why you should       
immediately commence a life of piety4   
,probably no child reads this book who  
is not conscious of sin4 ,you feel not  
only that you do not love ,god as you   
ought1 but that sometimes you are       
ungrateful or disobedient to your       
parents2 you are irritated with your    
brother or your sister1 or you indulge  
in other feelings1 which you know to be 
wrong4 ,new1 the first thing which ,god 

requires of you is1 that you should be  
penitent for all your sins4 ,at the     
close of the day1 you go to your chamber
 for sleep4 ,perhaps your mother goes   
with you1 and hears you repeat a prayer 
of gratitude to ,god for his kindness4  
,but after she has left the chamber1 and
 you are alone in the darkness1 you     
recall to mind the events of the day1   
asking yourself what you have done that 
is wrong4 ,perhaps you were idle at     
school1 or unkind to a playmate1 or     
disobedient to your parents4 ,now1 if   
you go to sleep without sincere         
repentance1 and a firm resolution to try
 for the future to avoid such sin1 the  
frown of your ,maker will be upon you   
during all the hours of the night4 ,you 
ought1 every evening1 before you go to  
sleep1 to think of your conduct during  
the day1 and to express to ,god your    
sincere sorrow for every thing you have 
done which is displeasing to him1 and   
humbly implore the pardon of your sins  
through ,jesus ,christ4 ,such a child   

,god loves4 ,such a one he will readily 
forgive4 ,and if it is his will that you
 should die before the morning1 he will 
take you to heaven1 to be happy there4  
,but remember that it is not enough     
simply to say that you are penitent4    
,you must really feel penitent4 ,and you
 must resolve to be more watchful in    
future1 and to guard against the sin    
over which you mourn4 ,you have1 for    
instance1 spoken unkindly1 during the   
day1 to your brother4 ,at night1 you    
feel that you have done wrong1 and that 
,god is displeased4 ,now1 if you are    
sincerely penitent1 and ask ,god's      
forgiveness1 you will pray that you may 
not again be guilty of the same fault4  
,and when you awake in the morning1 you 
will be watchful over yourself1 that you
 may be pleasant and obliging4 ,you will
 perhaps go to your brother1 and say1 ,i
 did wrong in speaking unkindly to you  
yesterday1 and ,i am sorry for it4 ,i   
will endeavor never again to do so4 ,at 
any rate1 if you are really penitent1   

you will pray to ,god for forgiveness1  
and most sincerely resolve never        
willingly to be guilty of the same sin  
again4  ,but you must also remember     
that1 by the law of ,god1 sin can never 
pass unpunished4 ,god has said1 ,the    
soul that sinneth1 it shall die4 ,and   
when you do any thing that is wrong1 and
 afterwards repent of it1 ,god forgives 
you1 because the ,savior has borne the  
punishment which you deserve4 ,this is  
what is meant by that passage of        
,scripture1 he was wounded for our      
transgressions1 and bruised for our     
iniquities4 ,our ,father in heaven loved
 us so much that he gave his own ,son to
 die in our stead4 ,and now he says that
 he is ready to forgive1 if we will     
repent1 and believe in his ,son who has 
suffered and died to save us4 ,and ought
 we not to love so kind a ,savior8  ,you
 cannot expect at present precisely and 
fully to understand every thing         
connected with the sufferings and death 
of ,christ1 and the moral effect they   

produce4 ,in fact1 it is intimated in   
the ,bible1 that even the angels in     
heaven find this subject one capable of 
tasking all their powers4 ,you can      
understand1 however1 that he suffered   
and died1 that you might be forgiven4   
,it would not be safe in any government 
to forgive sin merely on the penitence  
of the sinner4 ,civil government cannot 
do this safely2 a family government     
cannot do it safely4 ,it is often the   
case1 when a man is condemned to death  
for a crime he has committed1 that his  
dearest friends1 sometimes his wife and 
children1 make the most affecting       
appeals to the chief magistrate of the  
state1 to grant him pardon4 ,but it will
 not do4 ,the governor1 if he knows his 
duty1 will be firm1 however painful it  
may be1 in allowing the law to take its 
course2 for he has to consider not      
merely the wishes of the unhappy        
criminal and his friends1 but the safety
 and happiness of the whole community4  
,and so the governor of the universe    

must consider1 not merely his own       
benevolent feelings towards the sinner1 
but the safety and the holiness of all  
his creatures2 and he could not have    
forgiven our sins1 unless he had planned
 a way by which we might safely be      
forgiven4 ,this way he did devise1 to   
sustain law and protect holiness1 and   
yet to let us go free from the          
punishment due to our sins4 ,jesus died 
for us4 ,he bore our sins4 ,by his      
stripes we are healed4 ,and shall we not
 be grateful8  ,it is thus that ,god has
 provided a way for our escape from the 
penalty of his law4 ,you have read1 ,god
 so loved the world1 that he gave his   
only begotten ,son1 that whosoever      
believeth in him should not perish1 but 
have everlasting life4 ,was it not kind 
in ,god to give his ,son to suffer1 that
 we might be saved from punishment8 ,god
 has plainly given his law4 ,and he has 
said1 the soul that sinneth1 it shall   
die4 ,and he has said1 that his word is 
so sacred1 that1 though heaven and earth

 should pass away1 his word shall not   
pass away4 ,we have all broken ,god's   
law1 and deserve the punishment it      
threatens4 ,but our indulgent ,father in
 heaven is looking upon us in loving    
kindness and in tender mercy4 ,he pities
 us1 and he has given his own ,son to   
bear the punishment which we deserve4   
,oh1 was there ever proof of greater    
love8  ,and how ardently should we love 
that ,savior1 who is nearer and dearer  
than a brother1 who has left heaven and 
all its joys1 and come to the world1 and
 suffered and died1 that we might be    
happy6 ,god expects that we shall love  
him2 that we shall receive him as our   
,savior1 and whenever we do wrong1 that 
we shall ask forgiveness for his sake4  
,and when a child thinks of the sorrows 
which his sins have caused the ,savior1 
it does appear to me that he must love  
that ,savior with the most ardent       
affection4  ,it was the law of a certain
 town that the boys should not slide    
down hill in the streets4  ,,footnote3  

,to those children who live where it    
seldom or never snows1 ,i ought to say  
in this note1 that1 in ,new ,england1 it
 is a very common amusement to slide    
down the hills on sleds or boards1 in   
the winter evenings1 when the roads are 
icy and smooth4 ,in some places this is 
dangerous to passengers1 and then it is 
forbidden by law4   ,if any were found  
doing so1 they were to be fined1 and it 
the money was not paid1 they were to be 
sent to jail4 ,now1 a certain boy1 the  
son of a poor man1 broke the law1 and   
was taken up by an officer4 ,they       
carried him into court1 the fact was    
fully proved against him1 and he was    
sentenced to pay the fine4 ,he had no   
money1 and his father1 who stood by1 was
 poor1 and found it hard work to supply 
the wants of the family4 ,the money must
 be paid1 however1 or the poor boy must 
go to jail4 ,the father thought that he 
could earn it in the evenings1 and he   
promised1 accordingly1 to pay the money 
if they would let his son go4  ,evening 

after evening1 then1 he went out to his 
work1 while the boy was allowed to      
remain by the comfortable fire1 at home4
 ,after a while the money was earned and
 paid1 and then the boy felt relieved   
and free4  ,now1 suppose this boy1      
instead of being grateful to the father1
 who had suffered for him1 should treat 
him with coldness and unkindness4       
,suppose he should continually do things
 to give him pain1 and always be        
reluctant to do the slightest thing to  
oblige him4 ,who would not despise so   
ungrateful a boy8  ,and do you think    
that that child who will grieve the     
,savior with continued sin1 who will not
 love him1 who will not try to obey him1
 can have one spark of noble1 of        
generous feeling in his bosom8 ,would   
any person1 of real magnanimity1        
disregard a friend who had done so much 
as the ,savior has done for us8 ,god    
requires of us1 that while we feel      
penitent for our sins1 we should feel   
grateful to that ,savior who has        

redeemed us by his blood4 ,and when     
,jesus ,christ says1 ,come unto me1 all 
ye that labor and are heavy-laden1 and  
,i will give you rest1 this is what he  
means4 ,we must love ,christ1 ,we must  
regard him as the friend who has1 by his
 own sufferings1 saved us from the      
penalty of ,god's law4 ,and it is       
dishonorable and base to refuse to love 
him1 and to do every thing in your power
 to please him4  ,this kind ,savior is  
now looking upon you with affection4 ,he
 has gone to heaven to prepare a place  
for you1 and there he wishes to receive 
you1 and to make you happy for ever4    
,his eye is upon your heart every day1  
and every hour4 ,he never forgets you4  
,wherever you go1 he follows you4 ,he   
shields you from harm4 ,he supplies all 
your wants4 ,he surrounds you with      
blessings4 ,and now1 all that he asks   
for all these favors is your love2 not  
that you may do good to him1 but that he
 may do still more good to you4 ,he     
wishes to take you1 holy and happy1 to  

the green pastures and the still waters 
of heaven4 ,can any child refuse to love
 this ,savior8 ,oh1 go to him at once1  
and pray that he will receive you1 and  
write your name among the number of his 
friends4 ,then will he soon receive you 
to his own blissful abode4   ,fair      
distant land2 could mortal eyes ,but    
half its charms explore1 ,how would our 
spirits long to rise1 ,and dwell on     
earth no more6  ,no cloud those distant 
regions know1 ,realms ever bright and   
fair6 ,for sin1 the source of mortal wo1
 ,can never enter there4   ,every child 
who reads this book probably knows1     
that1 unless he is penitent for sin1 and
 trusts in the ,savior1 he must for ever
 be banished from the presence of ,god4 
,but a person cannot be penitent and    
grateful who does not endeavor in all   
things to be obedient4 ,you must try at 
all times of the day1 and in all the    
duties of the day1 to be faithful1 that 
you may please ,god4 ,it is not a little
 thing to be a ,christian4 ,it is not   

enough that you at times pray earnestly 
and feel deeply4 ,you must be mild1 and 
forbearing1 and affectionate1 and       
obedient4 ,do you think that child can  
be a ,christian1 who will1 by           
ingratitude1 make his parents unhappy8  
,there is1 perhaps1 nothing which is    
more pleasing to ,god than to see a     
child who is affectionate and obedient  
to his parents4 ,this is one of the most
 important ,christian duties4 ,and if   
ever you see a child who professes to be
 a ,christian child1 and who yet is     
guilty of ingratitude and of            
disobedience1 you may be assured that   
those professions are insincere4 ,if you
 would have a home in heaven1 you must  
be obedient while in your home on earth4
 ,if you would have the favor and the   
affection of your heavenly ,father1 you 
must merit the affection and the        
gratitude of your earthly parents4 ,god 
has most explicitly commanded that you  
should honor your father and your       
mother4 ,if you sin in this respect1 it 

is positive proof that the displeasure  
of ,god rests upon you4  ,sincere love  
to ,god will make a child not only more 
amiable in general character1 but also  
more industrious4 ,you are1 perhaps1 at 
school1 and1 not feeling very much like 
study1 idle away the afternoon4 ,now1   
,god's eye is upon you all the time4 ,he
 sees every moment which is wasted4 ,and
 the sin of that idle afternoon you must
 render an account for1 at his bar4 ,do 
you suppose that a person can be a      
,christian1 and yet be neglecting time1 
and living in idleness8 ,even for every 
idle word that men shall speak they must
 give an account in the day of judgment4
 ,if you do not improve your time when  
young1 you can neither be useful1 nor   
respected1 nor happy4 ,the consequences 
of this idleness will follow you through
 life4 ,with all sin ,god has connected 
sorrow4 ,the following account of       
,george ,jones will show how intimately 
,god has connected with indolence sorrow
 and disgrace4   ,,the ,,consequences   

,,of ,,idleness4   ,many young persons  
seem to think it is not of much         
consequence if they do not improve their
 time well when in youth1 for they can  
make it up by diligence when they are   
older4 ,they think it is disgraceful for
 men and women to be idle1 but that     
there can be no harm for persons who are
 young to spend their time in any manner
 they please4  ,george ,jones thought   
so4 ,he was twelve years old4 ,he went  
to an academy to prepare to enter       
college4 ,his father was at great       
expense in obtaining books for him1     
clothing him1 and paying his tuition4   
,but ,george was idle4 ,the preceptor of
 the academy would often tell him that  
if he did not study diligently when     
young1 he would never succeed well4 ,but
 ,george thought of nothing but present 
pleasure4 ,often would he go to school  
without having made any preparation for 
his morning lesson2 and1 when called to 
recite with his class1 he would stammer 
and make such blunders1 that the rest of

 his class could not help laughing at   
him4 ,he was one of the poorest scholars
 in school1 because he was one of the   
most idle4  ,when recess came1 and all  
the boys ran out of the academy1 upon   
the play-ground1 idle ,george would come
 moping along4 ,instead of studying     
diligently while in school1 he was      
indolent and half asleep4 ,when the     
proper time for play came1 he had no    
relish for it4 ,i recollect very well   
that1 when tossing up for a game of     
ball1 we used to choose every body on   
the play-ground before we chose ,george4
 ,and if there were enough to play      
without him1 we used to leave him out4  
,thus was he unhappy in school and out  
of school4 ,there is nothing which makes
 a person enjoy play so well as to study
 hard4 ,when recess was over1 and the   
rest of the boys returned fresh and     
vigorous to their studies1 ,george might
 be seen lagging and moping along to his
 seat4 ,sometimes he would be asleep in 
school1 sometimes he would pass his time

 in catching flies and penning them up  
in little holes1 which he cut in his    
seat4 ,and sometimes1 when the          
preceptor's back was turned1 he would   
throw a paper ball across the room4     
,when the class was called up to recite1
 ,george would come drowsily along1     
looking as mean and ashamed as though he
 were going to be whipped4 ,the rest of 
the class stepped up to the recitation  
with alacrity1 and appeared happy and   
contented4 ,when it came ,george's turn 
to recite1 he would be so long1 and make
 such blunders1 that all most heartily  
wished him out of the class4  ,at last  
,george went with his class to enter    
college4 ,though he passed a very poor  
examination1 he was admitted with the   
rest1 for those who examined him thought
 it was possible1 that the reason why he
 did not answer the questions better was
 that he was frightened4 ,now came hard 
times for poor ,george4 ,in college     
there is not much mercy shown to bad    
scholars2 and ,george had neglected his 

studies so long that he could not now   
keep up with his class1 let him try ever
 so hard4  ,he could without much       
difficulty get along in the academy1    
where there were only two or three boys 
of his own class to laugh at him4 ,but  
now he had to go into a large recitation
 room1 filled with students from all    
parts of the country4 ,in the presence  
of all these he must rise and recite to 
the professor4 ,poor fellow6 ,he paid   
dear for his idleness4 ,you would have  
pitied him1 if you could have seen him  
trembling in his seat1 every moment     
expecting to be called upon to recite4  
,and when he was called upon1 he would  
stand up and take what the class called 
a dead set2 that is1 he could not recite
 at all4 ,sometimes he would make such  
ludicrous blunders that the whole class 
would burst into a laugh4 ,such are the 
applauses idleness gets4 ,he was        
wretched1 of course4 ,he had been idle  
so long1 that he hardly knew how to     
apply his mind to study4 ,all the good  

scholars avoided him2 they were ashamed 
to be seen in his company4 ,he became   
discouraged1 and gradually grew         
dissipated4  ,the government of the     
college soon were compelled to suspend  
him4 ,he returned in a few months1 but  
did no better2 and his father was then  
advised to take him from college4 ,he   
left college1 despised by every one4 ,a 
few months ago ,i met him in ,new-,york1
 a poor wanderer1 without money or      
friends4 ,such are the wages of         
idleness4 ,i hope every reader will from
 this history take warning1 and stamp   
improvement on the wings of time4  ,this
 story of ,george ,jones1 which is a    
true one1 shows how sinful and ruinous  
it is to be idle4 ,every child who would
 be a ,christian1 and have a home in    
heaven1 must guard against this sin4    
,but as ,i have given you one story1    
which shows the sad effects of          
indolence1 ,i will now present you with 
another1 more pleasing1 which shows the 
rewards of industry4   ,,the            

,,advantages ,,of ,,industry4   ,i gave 
you the history of ,george ,jones1 an   
idle boy1 and showed you the            
consequences of his idleness4 ,i shall  
now give you the history of ,charles    
,bullard1 a class-mate of ,george4      
,charles was about of the same age with 
,george1 and did not possess naturally  
superior talents4 ,indeed1 ,i doubt     
whether he was equal to him1 in natural 
powers of mind4 ,but ,charles was a hard
 student4 ,when quite young1 he was     
always careful to be diligent in school4
 ,sometimes1 when there was a very hard 
lesson1 instead of going out in the     
recess to play1 he would stay in to     
study4 ,he had resolved that his first  
object should be to get his lesson well1
 and then he could play with a good     
conscience4 ,he loved play as well as   
any body1 and was one of the best       
players on the ground2 ,i hardly ever   
saw any body catch a ball better than he
 could4 ,when playing any game every one
 was glad to get ,charles on his side4  

,i have said that ,charles would        
sometimes stay in at recess4 ,this1     
however1 was very seldom2 it was only   
when the lesson was very hard indeed4   
,generally he was among the first upon  
the play-ground1 and he was also among  
the first to go into school1 when called
 in4 ,hard study gave him a relish for  
play1 and play again gave him a relish  
for hard study2 so he was happy both in 
school and out4 ,the preceptor could not
 help liking him1 for he always had his 
lessons well committed1 and never gave  
him any trouble4  ,when he went to enter
 college1 the preceptor gave him a good 
recommendation4 ,he was able to answer  
all the questions which were put to him 
when he was examined4 ,he had studied so
 well when he was in the academy1 and   
was so thoroughly prepared for college1 
that he found it very easy to keep up   
with his class1 and had much time for   
reading interesting books4 ,but he would
 always first get his lesson well1      
before he did any thing else1 and would 

review it just before recitation4 ,when 
called upon to recite1 he rose tranquil 
and happy1 and very seldom made any     
mistake4 ,the government of the college 
had a high opinion of him1 and he was   
respected by all the students4  ,there  
was in the college a society made up of 
all of the best scholars4 ,charles was  
chosen a member of that society4 ,it was
 the custom to choose some one of the   
society to deliver a public address     
every year4 ,this honor was conferred on
 ,charles2 and he had studied so        
diligently1 and read so much1 that he   
delivered an address1 which was very    
interesting to all who heard it4 ,at    
last he graduated1 as it is called2 that
 is1 he finished his collegiate course1 
and received his degree4 ,it was known  
by all that he was a good scholar1 and  
by all he was respected4 ,his father and
 mother1 brothers and sisters1 came1    
commencement day1 to hear him speak4    
,they all felt gratified1 and loved     
,charles more than ever4 ,many          

situations of usefulness and profit were
 opened to him1 for ,charles was now a  
man1 intelligent1 and universally       
respected4 ,he is now a useful and a    
happy man4 ,he has a cheerful home1 and 
is esteemed by all who know him4  ,such 
are the rewards of industry4 ,how       
strange is it1 that any persons should  
be willing to live in idleness1 when it 
will certainly make them1 unhappy6 ,the 
idle boy is almost invariably poor and  
miserable2 the industrious boy is happy 
and prospered4  ,but perhaps some child 
who reads this1 asks1 ,does ,god notice 
little children in school8 ,he certainly
 does4 ,and if you are not diligent in  
the improvement of your time1 it is one 
of the surest of evidences that your    
heart is not right with ,god4 ,you are  
placed in this world to improve your    
time4 ,in youth you must be preparing   
for future usefulness4 ,and if you do   
not improve the advantages you enjoy1   
you sin against your ,maker4   ,with    
books1 or work1 or healthful play1 ,let 

your first years be past1 ,that you may 
give1 for every day1 ,some good account 
at last4   ,one of the petitions in the 
,lord's prayer is1 forgive us our debts 
as we forgive our debtors4 ,we do thus  
pray that ,god will exercise the same   
kind of forgiveness towards us1 which we
 exercise towards others4 ,consequently1
 if we are unforgiving or revengeful1 we
 pray that ,god will treat us in the    
same way when we appear before him in   
judgment4 ,thus ,god teaches the        
necessity of cultivating a forbearing   
and a forgiving spirit4 ,we must do this
 or we cannot be ,christians4 ,when ,i  
was a boy1 there was another little boy 
who went to the same school with me1 who
 was a professed ,christian4 ,he seemed 
to love the ,savior1 and to try in all  
things to abstain from sin4 ,some of the
 bad boys were in the habit of          
ridiculing him1 and of doing every thing
 they could to tease him1 because he    
would not join with them in mischief4   
,near the school-house there was a small

 orchard2 and the scholars would1       
without the leave of the owner1 take the
 apples4 ,one day a party of boys were  
going into the orchard for fruit1 and   
called upon this pious boy to accompany 
them4  ,come1 ,henry1 said one of them  
to him1 let us go and get some apples4  
,the apples are not ours1 he fearlessly 
replied1 and ,i do not think it right to
 steal4  ,you are a coward1 and afraid  
to go1 the other replied4  ,i am afraid1
 said ,henry1 to do wrong1 and you ought
 to be2 but ,i am not afraid to do      
right4  ,this wicked boy was exceedingly
 irritated at this rebuke1 and called   
,henry all manner of names1 and         
endeavored to hold him up to the        
ridicule of the whole school4  ,henry   
bore it very patiently1 though it was   
hard to be endured1 for the boy who     
ridiculed him had a great deal of       
influence and talent4  ,some days after 
this the boys were going a fishing4     
,henry had a beautiful fishing-rod1     
which his father had bought for him4    

,george--for by that name ,i shall call 
the boy who abused ,henry--was very     
desirous of borrowing this fishing-rod1 
and yet was ashamed to ask for it4 ,at  
last1 however1 he summoned courage1 and 
called out to ,henry upon the           
play-ground--  ,henry1 will you lend me 
your rod to go a fishing8  ,o yes1 said 
,henry2 if you will go home with me1 ,i 
will get it for you now4  ,poor ,george 
felt ashamed enough for what he had     
done4 ,but he went home with ,henry to  
get the rod4  ,they went up into the    
barn together1 and when ,henry had taken
 his fishing-tackle from the place in   
which he kept it1 he said to ,george1 ,i
 have a new line in the house1 which    
father bought me the other day2 you may 
have that too1 if you want it4 ,george  
could hardly hold up his head1 he felt  
so ashamed4 ,however1 ,henry went and   
got the new line1 and placed it upon the
 rod1 and gave them into ,george's hand4
  ,a few days after this1 ,george told  
me about it4 ,why1 said he1 ,i never    

felt so ashamed in my life4 ,and one    
thing is certain1 ,i will never call    
,henry names again4  ,now1 who does not 
admire the conduct of ,henry in this    
affair8 ,this forgiving spirit is what  
,god requires4 ,the child who would be  
the friend of ,god1 must possess this   
spirit4 ,you must always be ready to    
forgive4 ,you must never indulge in the 
feelings of revenge4 ,you must never    
desire to injure another1 how much      
soever you may feel that others have    
injured you4 ,the spirit of the         
,christian is a forgiving spirit4  ,god 
also requires of his friends1 that they 
shall ever be doing good1 as they have  
opportunity4 ,the ,christian child will 
do all in his power to make those happy 
who are about him4 ,he will disregard   
himself that he may promote the         
happiness of others4 ,he will be        
obliging to all4  ,this world is not    
your home4 ,you are to remain here but a
 few years1 and then go to that home of 
joy or wo1 which you never1 never will  

leave4 ,god expects you to be useful    
here4 ,how can ,i do any good8 do you   
say8 ,why1 in many ways4 ,you can make  
your parents happy2 that is doing good4 
,you can make your brothers and sisters 
happy2 that is doing good4 ,you can try 
to make your brothers and sisters more  
obedient to their parents2 that is doing
 good4 ,you can set a good example at   
school2 that is doing good4 ,if you see 
your companions doing any thing that is 
wrong1 you can try to dissuade them4    
,you can speak to your bosom friend1    
upon the ,savior's goodness1 and        
endeavor to excite in his heart the     
feelings which are in yours4 ,thus you  
may be exerting a good influence upon   
all around you4 ,your life will not be  
spent in vain4 ,god will smile upon you1
 and give joy in a dying hour4  ,some   
children appear to think that if they   
are ,christians1 they cannot be so happy
 as they may be if they are not         
,christians4 ,they think that to love   
,god1 and to pray1 and to do their duty1

 is gloomy work4 ,but ,god tells us that
 none can be happy but those who love   
him4 ,and every one who has repented of 
sin1 and loves the ,savior1 says that   
there is more happiness in this mode of 
life than in any other4 ,we may indeed  
be happy a little while without piety4  
,but misfortunes and sorrows will come4 
,your hopes of pleasure will be         
disappointed4 ,you will be called to    
weep2 to suffer pain2 to die4 ,and there
 is nothing but religion which can give 
you a happy life and a peaceful death4  
,it is that you may be happy1 not       
unhappy1 that ,god wishes you to be a   
,christian4  ,it is true that at times  
it requires a very great struggle to    
take a decided stand as a ,christian4   
,the proud heart is reluctant to yield4 
,the worldly spirit clings to worldly   
pleasure4 ,it requires bravery and      
resolution to meet the obstacles which  
will be thrown in your way4 ,you may be 
opposed4 ,you may be ridiculed4 ,but1   
notwithstanding all this1 the only way  

to ensure happiness is to love and serve
 your ,maker4 ,many children know that  
they ought to love ,god1 and wish that  
they had resolution to do their duty4   
,but they are afraid of the ridicule of 
their companions4 ,henry1 who would not 
rob the orchard1 was a brave boy4 ,he   
knew that they would laugh at him4 ,but 
what did he care8 ,he meant to do his   
duty without being frightened if others 
did laugh4 ,and the consciousness of    
doing his duty afforded him much greater
 enjoyment than he could possibly have  
received from eating the stolen fruit4  
,others of the boys went and robbed the 
orchard1 because they had not courage to
 refuse to do as their companions did4  
,they knew it was wrong1 but they were  
afraid of being laughed at4 ,but which  
is the most easy to be borne1 the       
ridicule of the wicked1 or a condemning 
conscience1 and the displeasure of ,god8
 ,it is so with all the duties of the   
,christian4 ,if you will conscientiously
 do that which ,god approves1 he will   

give you peace of mind1 and prepare you 
for eternal joy4  ,one of the most      
eminent and useful of the ,english      
clergymen was led1 when a child1 by the 
following interesting circumstance1 to  
surrender himself to the ,savior4 ,when 
a little boy1 he was1 like other        
children1 playful and thoughtless4 ,he  
thought1 perhaps1 that he would wait    
until he was old1 before he became a    
,christian4 ,his father was a pious man1
 and frequently conversed with him about
 heaven1 and urged him to prepare to    
die4  ,on the evening of his birth-day1 
when he was ten years of age1 his father
 took him affectionately by the hand1   
and reminding him of the scenes through 
which he had already passed1 urged him  
to commence that evening a life of      
piety4 ,he told him of the love of      
,jesus4 ,he told him of the danger of   
delay4 ,and he showed him that he must  
perish for ever unless he speedily      
trusted in the ,savior1 and gave his    
life to his service4 ,as this child     

thought of a dying hour1 and of a       
,savior's love1 his heart was full of   
feeling1 and the tears gushed into his  
eyes4 ,he felt that it was time for him 
to choose whether he would live for ,god
 or for the world4 ,he resolved that he 
would no longer delay4  ,his father and 
mother then retired to their chamber to 
pray for their child1 and this child    
also went to his chamber to pray for    
himself4 ,sincerely he gave himself to  
the ,savior4 ,earnestly he implored     
forgiveness1 and most fervently         
entreated ,god to aid him to keep his   
resolutions and to refrain from sin4    
,and do you think that child was not    
happy1 as1 in the silence of his        
chamber1 he surrendered himself to ,god8
 ,it was undoubtedly the hour of the    
purest enjoyment he ever had            
experienced1 ,angels looked with joy    
upon that evening scene1 and hovered    
with delight and love around that       
penitent child4 ,the prayers of the     
parent and the child ascended as        

grateful incense to the throne1 and were
 accepted4 ,and from that affecting     
hour1 this little boy went on in the    
path which leads to usefulness1 and     
peace1 and heaven4 ,he spent his life in
 doing good4 ,a short time since1 he    
died a veteran soldier of the cross1 and
 is now undoubtedly amid the glories of 
heaven1 surrounded by hundreds1 who have
 been1 by his instrumentality1 led to   
those green fields and loved mansions4  
,oh1 what a rapturous meeting must that 
have been1 when the parents of this     
child pressed forward from the angel    
throng1 to welcome him1 as1 with        
triumphant wing1 he entered heaven6     
,and1 oh1 how happy must they now be1 in
 that home of songs and everlasting joy6
  ,it is thus that piety promotes our   
enjoyment4 ,it promotes our happiness at
 all times4 ,it takes away the fear of  
death1 and deprives every sorrow of half
 its bitterness4 ,death is the most     
gloomy thought that can enter the minds 
of those who are not ,christians4 ,but  

the pious child can be happy even when  
dying4 ,i was once called to see a boy  
who was very dangerously sick1 and      
expected soon to die4 ,i expected to    
have found him sorrowful4 ,but1 instead 
of that1 a happy smile was on his       
countenance1 which showed that joy was  
in his heart4 ,he sat in bed1 leaning   
upon his pillow1 with a hymn book in his
 hand1 which he was reading4 ,his cheeks
 were thin and pale1 from his long      
sickness1 while1 at the same time1 he   
appeared contented and happy4 ,after    
conversing with him a little while1 ,i  
said1  ,do you think you shall ever get 
well again8  ,no1 sir1 he cheerfully    
replied1 the doctor says ,i may perhaps 
live a few weeks1 but that he should not
 be surprised if ,i should die at any   
time4  ,are you willing to die8 ,i said4
  ,o yes1 sir1 he answered2 sometimes ,i
 feel sad about leaving father and      
mother4 ,but then ,i think ,i shall be  
free from sin in heaven1 and shall be   
with the ,savior4 ,and ,i hope that     

father and mother will soon come to     
heaven1 and ,i shall be with them then4 
,i am sometimes afraid that ,i am too   
impatient to go4  ,what makes you think1
 ,i asked1 that you are prepared to die8
  ,he hesitated for a moment1 and then  
said1 ,because ,jesus ,christ has said1 
,whosoever cometh to me ,i will in no   
wise cast out4 ,i do think that ,i love 
the ,savior1 and ,i wish to go to him1  
and to be made holy4  ,while talking    
with him1 ,i heard some boys laughing   
and playing under the window4 ,but this 
sick boy looked up to me1 and said1 ,oh1
 how much more happy am ,i now1 than ,i 
used to be when well and out at play1   
not thinking of ,god or heaven6 ,there  
is not a boy in the street so happy as  
,i4  ,this little boy had for some time 
been endeavoring to do his duty as a    
,christian4 ,his conduct showed that he 
loved the ,savior4 ,and when sickness   
came1 and death was near1 he was happy4 
,but1 oh1 how sad must that child feel1 
who is dying in unrepented sin6 ,we all 

must certainly soon die1 and there is   
nothing to make us happy in death but   
piety4  ,but when the ,christian child  
goes to heaven1 how happy must he be6   
,he rises above the clouds1 and the blue
 sky1 and the twinkling stars1 till he  
enters the home of ,god and the angels4 
,there he becomes an angel himself4 ,god
 gives him a body of perfect beauty1 and
 furnishes him with wings1 with which he
 can fly from world to world4 ,god is   
his approving ,father4 ,angels are his  
beloved friends4 ,you often1 in a clear 
evening1 look up upon the distant stars1
 and wonder who inhabits them4 ,you     
think1 if you had the wings of an eagle1
 you would love to fly up there1 and    
make a visit4 ,now1 it is not improbable
 that the ,christian1 in heaven1 can    
pass from star to star1 as you can go   
from house to house in your own         
neighborhood4 ,the very thought is      
enrapturing4 ,if every hour of our lives
 were spent in sorrow1 it would be      
nothing1 compared with the joys which   

,god has promised his friends at his    
right hand4 ,when we think of the green 
pastures of heaven2 of the still waters 
of that happy world2 when we think of   
mingling with the angels in their       
flight2 of uniting our voices with      
theirs in songs of praise2 of gazing    
upon all the glories and sharing all the
 rapture of the heavenly world--,o1 how 
tame do the joys of earth appear6  ,some
 children1 however1 think that they can 
put off becoming ,christians till a     
dying hour1 and then repent and be      
saved4 ,even if you could do this1 it   
would be at the loss of much usefulness 
and much happiness4 ,but the fact is1   
you are never curtain of a moment of    
life4 ,you are little aware of the      
dangers to which you are continually    
exposed4   ,the rising morning can't    
assure1 ,that we shall spend the day2   
,for death stands ready at the door1 ,to
 snatch our lives away4   ,we are       
reminded of the uncertainty of life1 by 
the accidents which are every day       

occurring4 ,often1 when we least suspect
 it1 we are in the most imminent hazard 
of our lives4 ,when ,i was a boy1 ,i one
 day went a gunning4 ,i was to call for 
another boy1 who lived at a little      
distance from my father's4 ,having      
loaded my gun with a heavy charge of    
pigeon- shot1 and put in a new flint1   
which would strike out a brilliant      
shower of sparks1 ,i carefully primed   
the gun1 and set out upon my expedition4
 ,when arrived at the house of the boy  
who was to go with me1 ,i leaned the gun
 against the side of the house1 and     
waited a few moments for him to get     
ready4 ,about a rod from the door1 where
 ,i was waiting1 there was another      
house4 ,a little girl stood upon the    
window- seat1 looking out of the window4
 ,another boy came along1 and1 taking up
 the gun1 not knowing that it was loaded
 and primed1 took deliberate aim at the 
face of the girl1 and pulled the        
trigger4 ,but ,god1 in mercy1 caused the
 gun to miss fire4 ,had it gone off1 the

 girl's face would have been blown all  
to pieces1 ,i never can think of the    
danger she was in1 even now1 without    
trembling4 ,the girl did not see the boy
 take aim at her1 and does not now know 
how narrow was her escape from death4   
,she little supposed that1 when standing
 in perfect health by the window in her 
own father's house1 she was in danger of
 dropping down dead upon the floor4 ,we 
are all continually exposed to such     
dangers1 and when we least suspect it1  
may be in the greatest peril4 ,is it    
not1 then1 folly to delay preparation   
for death8 ,you may die within one hour4
 ,you may not have one moment of warning
 allowed you4  ,a few years ago1 a      
little boy was riding in the stage4 ,it 
was a pleasant summer's day4 ,the horses
 were trotting rapidly along by fields1 
and bridges1 and orchards1 and houses4  
,the little boy stood at the coach      
window with a happy heart1 and looked   
upon the green fields and pleasant      
dwellings2 upon the poultry in the      

farm-yards1 and the cattle upon the     
hills4 ,he had not the least idea that  
he should die that day4 ,but while he   
was looking out of the window1 the iron 
rim of the wheel broke1 and struck him  
upon the forehead4 ,the poor boy lay    
senseless for a few days1 and then died4
 ,there are a thousand ways by which    
life may be suddenly extinguished1 and  
yet how seldom are they thought of by   
children6 ,they almost always entirely  
forget the danger of early death1 and   
postpone to a future day making their   
peace with ,god4 ,and how little do     
those who read this book think that they
 may die suddenly6 ,many children1 when 
they go to bed at night1 say the prayer1
   ,now ,i lay me down to sleep1 ,i pray
 the ,lord my soul to keep1 ,if ,i      
should die before ,i wake1 ,i pray the  
,lord my soul to take4   ,i used to say 
this prayer1 when a child1 every night  
before ,i went to sleep4 ,but ,i did not
 know then1 as well as ,i do now1 that  
,i might die before the morning4 ,almost

 every night some children go to bed    
well1 and before morning are dead4 ,it  
is1 therefore1 very dangerous to delay  
repentance4 ,love the ,savior           
immediately1 and prepare to die1 and it 
will be of but little consequence when  
you die1 for you will go to heaven and  
be happy for ever4  ,but we must not    
forget that a most terrible doom awaits 
those who will not serve their ,maker4  
,it matters not how much we may be      
beloved by our friends2 how amiable may 
be our feelings4 ,this alone will not   
save us4 ,we must repent of sin1 and    
love the ,savior1 who has suffered for  
us4 ,we must pass our lives in          
usefulness and prayer1 or1 when the day 
of judgment comes1 we shall hear the    
sentence1 ,depart from me1 for ,i know  
you not4 ,it is indeed a fearful thing  
to refuse affection and obedience to our
 ,father in heaven4 ,he will receive    
none into his happy family above1 but   
those who love him4 ,he will have no    
angry1 disagreeable spirits there4 ,he  

will receive none but the penitent1 and 
the humble1 and the grateful1 to that   
pure and peaceful home4 ,who does not   
wish to go to heaven8 ,o1 then1 now     
begin to do your duty1 and earnestly    
pray that ,god will forgive your sins1  
and give you a heart to love and obey   
him4    ,,chapter ,,vii4    ,,traits    
,,of ,,character4    ,every child must  
observe how much more happy and beloved 
some children appear to be than others4 
,there are some children you always love
 to be with4 ,they are happy themselves1
 and they make you happy4 ,there are    
others whose society you always avoid4  
,the very expression of their           
countenances produces unpleasant        
feelings4 ,they seem to have no friends4
  ,no person can be happy without       
friends4 ,the heart is formed for love1 
and cannot be happy without the         
opportunity of giving and receiving     
affection4   ,it's not in titles1 nor in
 rank1 ,it's not in wealth like ,london 
bank1 ,to make us truly blest4 ,if      

happiness have not her seat ,and centre 
in the breast1 ,we may be wise1 or rich1
 or great1 ,but never can be blest4     
,but you cannot receive affection1      
unless you will also give4 ,you cannot  
find others to love you1 unless you will
 also love them4 ,love is only to be    
obtained by giving love in return4      
,hence the importance of cultivating a  
cheerful and obliging disposition4 ,you 
cannot be happy without it4 ,i have     
sometimes heard a girl say1  ,i know    
that ,i am very unpopular at school4    
,now1 this is simply saying that she is 
very disobliging and unamiable in her   
disposition4 ,if your companions do not 
love you1 it is your own fault4 ,they   
cannot help loving you if you will be   
kind and friendly4 ,if you are not      
loved1 it is good evidence that you do  
not deserve to be loved4 ,it is true    
that a sense of duty may at times render
 it necessary for you to do that which  
is displeasing to your companions4 ,but 
if it is seen that you have a noble     

spirit2 that you are above selfishness2 
that you are willing to make sacrifices 
of your own personal convenience to     
promote the happiness of your           
associates1 you will never be in want of
 friends4 ,you must not regard it as    
your misfortune that others do not love 
you1 but your fault4 ,it is not beauty1 
it is not wealth1 that will give you    
friends4 ,your heart must glow with     
kindness if you would attract to        
yourself the esteem and affection of    
those by whom you are surrounded4  ,you 
are little aware how much the happiness 
of your whole life depends upon your    
cultivating an affectionate and obliging
 disposition4 ,if you will adopt the    
resolution that you will confer favors  
whenever you have an opportunity1 you   
will certainly be surrounded by ardent  
friends4 ,begin upon this principle in  
childhood1 and act upon it through life1
 and you will make yourself happy1 and  
promote the happiness of all within your
 influence4  ,you go to school in a cold

 winter morning4 ,a bright fire is      
blazing upon the hearth1 surrounded with
 boys struggling to get near it to warm 
themselves4 ,after you get slightly     
warmed1 another schoolmate comes in     
suffering with the cold4  ,here1 ,james1
 you pleasantly call out to him1 ,i am  
'most warm2 you may have my place4  ,as 
you slip one side to allow him to take  
your place at the fire1 will he not feel
 that you are kind8 ,the worst          
dispositioned boy in the world cannot   
help admiring such generosity4 ,and even
 though he be so ungrateful as to be    
unwilling to return the favor1 you may  
depend upon it that he will be your     
friend1 as far as he is capable of      
friendship4 ,if you will habitually act 
upon this principle1 you will never want
 for friends4  ,suppose some day you are
 out with your companions playing ball4 
,after you have been playing for some   
time1 another boy comes along4 ,he      
cannot be chosen upon either side2 for  
there is no one to match him4  ,henry1  

you say1 you may take my place a little 
while1 and ,i will rest4  ,you throw    
yourself down upon the grass1 while     
,henry1 fresh and vigorous1 takes your  
bat1 and engages in the game4 ,he knows 
that you gave up to accommodate him4    
,and how can he help liking you for it8 
,the fact is1 that neither man nor child
 can cultivate such a spirit of         
generosity and kindness1 without        
attracting affection and esteem4 ,look  
and see who of your companions have the 
most friends1 and you will find that    
they are those who have this noble      
spirit2 who are willing to deny         
themselves1 that they may make their    
associates happy4 ,this is not peculiar 
to childhood1 but is the same in all    
periods of life4 ,there is but one way  
to make friends1 and that is by being   
friendly to others4  ,perhaps some child
 who reads this1 feels conscious of     
being disliked1 and yet desires to have 
the affection of companions4 ,you ask me
 what you shall do4 ,i will tell you    

what4 ,i will give you an infallible    
recipe4 ,do all in your power to make   
others happy4 ,be willing to make       
sacrifices of your own convenience that 
you may promote the happiness of others4
 ,this is the way to make friends1 and  
the only way4 ,when you are playing with
 your brothers and sisters at home1 be  
always ready to give them more than     
their share of privileges4 ,manifest an 
obliging disposition1 and they cannot   
but regard you with affection4 ,in all  
your intercourse with others1 at home or
 abroad1 let these feelings influence   
you1 and you will receive the rich      
reward of devoted friends4  ,the very   
exercise of these feelings brings       
enjoyment4 ,the benevolent man is a     
cheerful man4 ,his family is happy4 ,his
 home is the abode of the purest earthly
 joy4 ,these feelings are worth         
cultivating1 for they bring with them   
their own reward4 ,benevolence is the   
spirit of heaven4 ,selfishness is the   
spirit of the fiend4   ,the heart       

benevolent and kind ,the most resembles 
,god4   ,but persons of ardent          
dispositions often find it exceedingly  
difficult to deny themselves4 ,some     
little occurrence irritates them1 and   
they speak hastily and angrily4         
,offended with a companion1 they will do
 things to give pain1 instead of        
pleasure4 ,you must have your temper    
under control if you would exercise a   
friendly disposition1 ,a bad temper is  
an infirmity1 which1 if not restrained1 
will be continually growing worse and   
worse4 ,there was a man1 a few years    
since1 tried for murder4 ,when a boy1 he
 gave loose to his passions4 ,the least 
opposition would rouse his anger1 and he
 made no efforts to subdue himself4 ,he 
had no one who could love him4 ,if he   
was playing with others1 he would every 
moment be getting irritated4 ,as he grew
 older1 his passions increased1 and he  
became so ill-natured that every one    
avoided him4 ,one day1 as he was talking
 with another man1 he became so enraged 

at some little provocation1 that he     
seized a club1 and with one blow laid   
the man lifeless at his feet4 ,he was   
seized and imprisoned4 ,but1 while in   
prison1 the fury of a malignant and     
ungoverned spirit increased to such a   
degree that he became a maniac4 ,the    
very fires of the world of wo were      
burning in his heart4 ,loaded with      
chains1 and immured in a dark dungeon1  
he was doomed to pass the miserable     
remnant of his guilty life1 the victim  
of his ungovernable passion4  ,this is a
 very unusual case4 ,but nothing is more
 common than for a child to destroy his 
own peace1 and to make his brothers and 
sisters continually unhappy by indulging
 in a peevish and irritable spirit4     
,nothing is more common than for a child
 to cherish this disposition until he   
becomes a man1 and then1 by his         
peevishness and fault- finding1 he      
destroys the happiness of all who are   
near him4 ,his home is the scene of     
discord4 ,his family are made wretched4 

,an amiable disposition makes its       
possessor happy4 ,and if you would have 
such a disposition1 you must learn to   
control yourself4 ,if others injure you1
 they the gospel rule1 and do them good 
in return1 ,if they revile you1 speak   
kindly to them4 ,it is far better to    
suffer injury than to inflict injury4   
,if you will endeavor in childhood in   
this way to control your passions1 to be
 always mild1 and forbearing1 and       
forgiving1 you will disarm opposition1  
and1 in many cases1 convert enemies to  
friends4 ,you will be beloved by those  
around you1 and when you have a home of 
your own1 your cheerful and obliging    
spirit will make it a happy home4  ,one 
thing you may be sure of4 ,there can be 
no real happiness when there is not an  
amiable disposition4 ,you cannot more   
surely make yourself wretched1 than by  
indulging in an irritable spirit4 ,love 
is the feeling which fills every angel's
 bosom2 and it is the feeling which     
should fill every human heart4 ,it is   

love which will raise us to the angel's 
throne4 ,it is malice which will sink us
 to the demon's dungeon4 ,i hope that   
every child who reads this1 will be     
persuaded1 by these remarks1 immediately
 to commence the government of his      
temper1 ,resolve that you never will be 
angry4 ,if your brother or your sister  
does any thing which has a tendency to  
provoke you1 restrain your feelings1 and
 speak mildly and softly4 ,let no       
provocation draw from you an angry or an
 unkind word4 ,if you will commence in  
this way1 and persevere1 you will soon  
get that control over yourself that will
 contribute greatly to your happiness4  
,your friends will increase1 and you    
will be prepared for far more extensive 
usefulness in the world4  ,and is there 
not something noble in being able to be 
always calm and pleasant8 ,i once saw   
two men conversing in the streets4 ,one 
became very unreasonably enraged with   
the other4 ,in the fury of his anger1 he
 appeared like a madman4 ,he addressed  

the other in language the most abusive  
and insulting4 ,the gentleman whom he   
thus abused1 with a pleasant countenance
 and a calm voice1 said to him1 ,now1 my
 friend1 you will be sorry for all this 
when your passion is over4 ,this        
language does me no harm1 and can do you
 no good4  ,now is it not really        
magnanimous to have such a spirit8      
,every person who witnessed this        
interview despised the angry man1 and   
respected the one who was so calm and   
self-possessed4  ,humility is another   
very important trait of character1 which
 should be cultivated in early life4    
,what can be more disgusting than the   
ridiculous airs of a vain child8        
,sometimes you will see a foolish girl  
tossing her head about1 and walking with
 a mincing step1 which shows you at once
 that she is excessively vain4 ,she     
thinks that others are admiring her     
ridiculous airs1 when the fact is1 they 
are laughing at her1 and despising her4 
,every one speaks of her as a very      

simple1 vain girl4 ,vanity is a sure    
sign of weakness of mind2 and if you    
indulge in so contemptible a passion1   
you will surely be the subject of       
ridicule and contempt4 ,a young lady was
 once passing an afternoon at the house 
of a friend4 ,as she1 with one or two   
gentlemen and ladies1 was walking in the
 garden1 she began to make a display of 
her fancied learning4 ,she would look at
 a flower1 and with great self-         
sufficiency talk of its botanical       
characteristics4 ,she thought that the  
company were all wondering at the extent
 of her knowledge1 when they were all   
laughing at her1 as a self-conceited    
girl who had not sense enough to keep   
herself from appearing ridiculous4 ,the 
gentlemen were winking at one another1  
and slyly laughing as she uttered one   
learned word after another1 with an     
affected air of familiarity with        
scientific terms4 ,during the walk1 she 
took occasion to lug in all the little  
she knew1 and at one time ventured to   

quote a little ,latin for their         
edification4 ,poor simpleton6 ,she      
thought she had produced quite an       
impression upon their minds4 ,and1 in   
truth1 she had4 ,she had fixed indelibly
 the impression that she was an         
insufferably weak and self-conceited    
girl4 ,she made herself the             
laughing-stock of the whole company4    
,the moment she was gone1 there was one 
general burst of laughter4 ,and not one 
of those gentlemen or ladies could ever 
think of that vain girl afterwards1     
without emotions of contempt4  ,this is 
the invariable effect of vanity4 ,you   
cannot so disguise it1 but that it will 
be detected1 and cover you with         
disgrace4 ,there is no foible more      
common than this1 and there is none more
 supremely ridiculous4  ,one boy happens
 to have rich parents1 and he acts as   
though he supposed that there was some  
virtue in his father's money which      
pertained to him4 ,he goes to school and
 struts about1 as though he were lord of

 the play-ground4 ,now1 every body who  
sees this1 says1 it is a proof that the 
boy has not much mind4 ,he is a simple  
boy4 ,if he had good sense he would     
perceive that others of his playmates1  
in many qualities1 surpassed him1 and   
that it became him to be humble and     
unostentatious1 ,the mind that is truly 
great is humble4  ,we are all disgusted 
with vanity wherever it appears4 ,go    
into a school-room1 and look around upon
 the appearance of the various pupils   
assembled there4 ,you will perhaps see  
one girl1 with head tossed upon one     
shoulder1 and with a simpering          
countenance1 trying to look pretty4 ,you
 speak to her4 ,instead of receiving a  
plain1 kind1 honest answer1 she replies 
with voice and language and attitude    
full of affectation4 ,she thinks she is 
exciting your admiration4 ,but1 on the  
contrary1 she is exciting disgust and   
loathing4  ,you see another girl1 whose 
frank and open countenance proclaims a  
sincere and honest heart4 ,all her      

movements are natural4 ,she manifests no
 desire to attract attention4 ,the idea 
of her own superiority seems not to     
enter her mind4 ,as1 in the recess1 she 
walks about the schoolroom1 you can     
detect no airs of self-conceit4 ,she is 
pleasant to all her associates4 ,you ask
 her some question4 ,she answers you    
with modesty and unostentation4 ,now1   
this girl1 without any effort to attract
 admiration1 is beloved and admired4    
,every one sees at once that she is a   
girl of good sense4 ,she knows too much 
to be vain4 ,she will never want for    
friends4 ,this is the kind of character 
which insures usefulness and happiness4 
,a little girl who had rich parents1 and
 was handsome in personal appearance1   
was very vain of her beauty and of her  
father's wealth4 ,she disgusted all her 
school-mates by her conceit4 ,and though
 she seemed to think that every one     
ought to admire her1 she was beloved by 
none4 ,she at last left school1 a vain1 
disgusting girl4 ,a young man1 who was  

so simple as to fall in love with this  
piece of pride and affectation1 at      
length married her4 ,for a few years the
 property which she received of her     
father supported them4 ,but soon her    
father died1 and her husband grew       
dissipated1 and before long their       
property was all squandered4 ,she had no
 friends to whom she could look for     
assistance1 and they were every month   
sinking deeper and deeper in poverty4   
,her husband at last became a perfect   
sot1 and staggered through the streets  
in the lowest state of degradation4 ,she
 was left with one or two small         
children1 and without any means of      
support4 ,in a most miserable hovel1    
this poor woman was compelled to take up
 her residence4 ,by this time1 her pride
 had experienced a fall4 ,she no longer 
exhibited the airs of a vain girl1 but  
was an afflicted and helpless woman4    
,the sorrow and disgrace into which she 
was plunged by the intemperance of her  
husband1 preyed so deeply upon her      

feelings as to destroy her health1 and  
in this condition she was carried to the
 poor-house4 ,there she lingered out the
 few last years of her sad earthly      
existence4 ,what a termination of life  
for a vain and haughty girl6 ,and what a
 lesson is this to all1 to be humble and
 unassuming6 ,you may be in health      
to-day1 and in sickness to-morrow4 ,this
 year you may be rich1 and have need of 
nothing1 and the next year you may be in
 the most abject poverty1 ,your early   
home may be one of luxury and elegance1 
and in your dying hour you may be in the
 poor-house1 without a friend to watch  
at your bedside4 ,is it not1 then1 the  
height of folly to indulge in vanity8   
,if any child will look around upon his 
own companions1 he will see that those  
are most beloved and respected1 who have
 no disposition to claim superiority    
over their associates4 ,how pleasant is 
it to be in company with those who are  
conciliating and unassuming6 ,but how   
much is every one disgusted with the    

presence of those who assume airs of    
importance1 and are continually saying1 
by their conduct1 that they think       
themselves deserving particular         
attention6 ,no one regrets to see such  
self-conceit humbled4 ,when such persons
 meet with misfortune1 no one appears to
 regret it1 no one sympathizes with     
them4  ,you must guard against this     
contemptible vice1 you would be useful1 
or respected1 or happy4 ,if you would   
avoid exciting disgust1 avoid vanity4   
,if you do not wish to be the           
laughing-stock of all your acquaintance1
 do not let them detect in you          
consequential airs4 ,if you would not be
 an object of hatred and disgust1 beware
 how you indulge feelings of fancied    
superiority4 ,be plain1 and sincere1 and
 honest-hearted4 ,disgrace not yourself 
by affectation and pride4 ,let all your 
words and all your actions show that you
 think no more highly of yourself than  
you ought to think4 ,then will others   
love you4 ,they will rejoice at your    

prosperity4 ,and they will be glad to   
see you rising in the world1 in         
usefulness and esteem4  ,moral courage  
is a trait of character of the utmost   
importance to be possessed4 ,a man was  
once challenged to fight a duel4 ,as he 
thought of his own condition1 if he     
should kill his adversary1 and of his   
widowed wife and orphan children1 if he 
should be shot himself as he thought of 
his appearance before the bar of ,god to
 answer for the atrocious sin1 he shrunk
 from accepting the challenge4 ,but when
 he thought of the ridicule to which he 
would be exposed if he declined2 that   
others would call him a coward1 and     
point at him the finger of scorn1 he was
 afraid to refuse4 ,he was such a coward
 that he did not dare to meet the       
ridicule of contemptible men4 ,he had so
 little moral courage1 that he had      
rather become a murderer1 or expose     
himself to be shot1 than boldly to      
disregard the opinions and the sneers of
 the unprincipled and base4 ,it is this 

want of moral courage which very        
frequently leads persons to the         
commission of crimes4  ,there is nothing
 so hard to be borne as ridicule4 ,it   
requires a bold heart to be ready to do 
one's duty1 unmoved by the sneers of    
others4 ,how often does a child do that 
which he knows to be wrong1 because he  
is afraid that others will call him a   
coward if he does right6 ,one cold      
winter's day1 three boys were passing by
 a school-house4 ,the oldest was a      
mischievous fellow1 always in trouble   
himself1 and trying to get others into  
trouble4 ,the youngest1 whose name was  
,george1 was a very amiable boy1 who    
wished to do right1 but was very        
deficient in moral courage4 ,we will    
call the oldest ,henry1 and the other of
 the three ,james4 ,the following       
dialogue passed between them4           
,henry4--,what fun it would be to throw 
a snowball against the schoolroom door1 
and make the instructer and scholars all
 jump6  ,james4--,you would jump if you 

should4 ,if the instructer did not catch
 you and whip you1 he would tell your   
father1 and you would get a whipping    
then1 that would make you jump higher   
than the scholars1 ,i think4            
,henry4--,why1 we could get so far off1 
before the instructer could come to the 
door1 that he could not tell who we are4
 ,here is a snow-ball just as hard as   
ice1 and ,george had as lief throw it   
against that door as not4               
,james4--,give it to him and see4 ,he   
would not dare to throw it against the  
door4  ,henry4--,do you think ,george is
 a coward8 ,you don't know him as well  
as ,i do4 ,here1 ,george1 take this     
snow-ball1 and show ,james that you are 
not such a coward as he thinks you to   
be4  ,george4--,i am not afraid to throw
 it4 ,but ,i do not want to4 ,i do not  
see that it will do any good or that    
there will be any fun in it4            
,james4--,there1 ,i told you he would   
not dare to throw it4  ,henry4--,why1   
,george1 are you turning coward8 ,i     

thought you did not fear any thing4 ,we 
shall have to call you chicken-hearted4 
,come1 save your credit1 and throw it4  
,i know you are not afraid to4          
,george4--,well1 ,i am not afraid to1   
said ,george4 ,give me the snowball4 ,i 
had as lief throw it as not4  ,whack    
went the snow-ball against the door2 and
 the boys took to their heels4 ,henry   
was laughing as heartily as he could to 
think what a fool he had made of        
,george4 ,george afterwards got a       
whipping for his folly1 as he richly    
deserved4 ,he was such a coward that he 
was afraid of being called a coward4 ,he
 did not dare to refuse to do as ,henry 
told him do1 for fear that he would be  
laughed at4 ,if he had been really a    
brave boy1 he would have said1  ,henry1 
do you suppose that ,i am such a fool as
 to throw that snowball just because you
 want to have me8 ,you may throw your   
own snowballs1 if you please4  ,henry   
would perhaps have tried to laugh at    
him4 ,he would have called him a coward1

 hoping in this way to induce him to    
obey his wishes4 ,but ,george would have
 replied1  ,do you think that ,i care   
for your laughing8 ,i do not think it is
 right to throw a snow-ball against the 
school-room door4 ,and ,i will not do   
that which ,i think to be wrong1 if the 
whole town join with you in laughing4   
,this would have been real moral        
courage4 ,henry would have seen at once1
 that it would do no good to laugh at a 
boy who had so bold a heart4 ,and you   
must have this fearlessness of spirit1  
or you will be continually involved in  
trouble1 and will deserve and receive   
contempt4  ,i once knew a man who had so
 little independence1 that he hardly    
dared express an opinion different from 
that of those he was with4 ,when he was 
talking upon politics1 he would agree   
with the persons with whom he happened  
to be conversing1 no matter what their  
views1 or what their party4 ,he was     
equally fickle and undecided upon the   
subject of religion1 differing from     

none1 and agreeing with all4 ,the       
consequence was1 that he had the        
confidence of none1 and the contempt of 
all4 ,he sunk into merited disgrace in  
the estimation of the whole community4  
,you must have an opinion of your own4  
,and you must be ready1 frankly and     
modestly1 to express it1 when occasion  
requires1 without being intimidated by  
fear of censure4 ,you can neither       
command respect nor be useful without   
it4  ,in things which concern your own  
personal convenience merely1 you should 
be as yielding us the air4 ,but where   
duty is concerned1 you should be as firm
 and as unyielding as the rock4 ,be ever
 ready to sacrifice your own comfort to 
promote the comfort of others4 ,be      
conciliating and obliging in all your   
feelings and actions4 ,show that you are
 ready to do every thing in your power  
to make those around you happy4 ,let no 
one have occasion to say that you are   
stubborn and unaccommodating4 ,but1 on  
the other hand1 where duty is involved1 

let nothing tempt you to do wrong4 ,be  
bold enough to dare to do right1        
whatever may be the consequences4 ,if   
others laugh at your scruples1 let them 
laugh as long as they please4 ,and let  
them see that you are not to be         
frightened by their sneers4 ,your       
courage will often be tried4 ,there will
 be occasions in which it will require a
 severe struggle to preserve your       
integrity4 ,but ever remember that if   
you would do any good in the world1 you 
must possess this moral courage4 ,it is 
the want of this that leaves thousands  
to live in a way which their consciences
 reprove1 and to die in despair4 ,unless
 you possess this trait of character1 to
 some considerable degree1 it can hardly
 be expected that you will ever become a
 ,christian4 ,you must learn to act for 
yourself1 unintimidated by the censure1 
and unmoved by the flattery of others4  
,i now bring this book to a close4 ,if  
you will diligently endeavor to be      
influenced by its directions your       

usefulness and happiness will surely be 
promoted4 ,soon you will leave home1 no 
more to return but as a visitor4 ,the   
character you have acquired and the     
habits you have formed while at home1 in
 all probability1 will accompany you    
through life4 ,you are now surrounded by
 ah the joys of home4 ,affectionate     
parents watch over you1 supplying all   
your wants4 ,you have but few           
solicitudes and but few sorrows4 ,soon1 
however1 you must leave parents1        
brothers1 and sisters1 and enter upon   
the duties and cares of life almost     
alone4 ,how affecting will be the hour1 
when your foot steps from your father's 
dwelling1 from your mother's care1 to   
seek a new home among strangers6 ,you   
now cannot conceive the feelings which  
will press upon you as your father takes
 your hand to bid you the parting       
farewell1 and your mother endeavors to  
hide her tears1 as you depart from her  
watchful eye1 to meet the temptations   
and sorrows of life4 ,your heart will   

then be full4 ,tears will fill your     
eyes4 ,emotion will choke your voice4   
,you will then reflect upon all the     
scenes of your childhood with feelings  
you never had before4 ,every unkind word
 you have uttered to your parents--every
 unkind look you have given them1 will  
cause you the sincerest sorrow4 ,if you 
have one particle of generous feeling   
remaining in your bosom1 you will long  
to fall upon your knees and ask your    
parents' forgiveness for every pang you 
may have caused their hearts4 ,the hour 
when you leave your home1 and all its   
joys1 will be such an hour as you never 
have passed before4 ,the feelings which 
will then oppress your heart1 will      
remain with you for weeks and months4   
,you will often1 in the pensive hour of 
evening1 sit down and weep1 as you think
 of parents and home far away4 ,oh1 how 
cold will seem the love of others1      
compared with a mother's love6 ,how     
often will your thoughts fondly return  
to joys which have for ever fled6 ,again

 and again will you think over the years
 that are past4 ,every recollection of  
affection and obedience will awaken joy 
in your heart4 ,every remembrance of    
ingratitude will awaken repentance and  
remorse4  ,o1 then1 think of the time   
when you must bid father and mother1    
brothers and sisters1 farewell4 ,think  
of the time when you must leave the     
fireside around which you have spent so 
many pleasant evenings1 and go out into 
the wide world1 with no other dependence
 than the character you have formed at  
home4 ,if this character be good1 if you
 possess amiable and obliging and       
generous feelings1 you may soon possess 
a home of your own1 when the joys of    
your childhood will in some degree be   
renewed4 ,and if you will pass your days
 in the service of ,god1 imitating the  
character of the ,savior1 and cherishing
 the feelings of penitence and love1    
which the ,bible requires1 you will soon
 be in that happy home which is never to
 be forsaken4 ,there1 are joys from     

which you never will be separated1      
,there1 are friends1 angels in dignity  
and spotless in purity1 in whose loved  
society you will find joys such as you  
never experienced while on earth4  ,when
 a son was leaving the roof of a pious  
father1 to go out into the wide world to
 meet its temptations1 and to battle    
with its storms1 his heart was oppressed
 with the many emotions which were      
struggling there4 ,the day had come in  
which he was to leave the fireside of so
 many enjoyments2 the friends endeared  
to him by so many associations-- so many
 acts of kindness4 ,he was to bid adieu 
to his mother1 that loved1 loved        
benefactor1 who had protected him in    
sickness1 and rejoiced with him in      
health4 ,he was to leave a father's     
protection1 to go forth and act without 
an adviser1 and rely upon his own       
unaided judgment4 ,he was to bid        
farewell to brothers and sisters1 no    
more to see them but as an occasional   
visitor at his paternal home4 ,oh1 how  

cold and desolate did the wide world    
appear6 ,how did he hesitate from       
launching forth to meet its tempests and
 its storms6 ,but the hour had come for 
him to go2 and he must suppress his     
emotions1 and triumph over his          
reluctance4 ,he went from room to room1 
looking1 as for the last time1 upon     
those scenes1 to which imagination would
 so often recur1 and where it would love
 to linger4 ,the well-packed trunk was  
in the entry1 waiting the arrival of the
 stage4 ,brothers and sisters were      
moving about1 hardly knowing whether to 
smile or to cry4 ,the father sat at the 
window1 humming a mournful air1 as he   
was watching the approach of the stage  
which was to bear his son away to take  
his place far from home1 in the busy    
crowd of a bustling world4 ,the mother1 
with all the indescribable emotions of a
 mother's heart1 was placing in a small 
bundle a few little comforts such as    
none but a mother could think of1 and1  
with most generous resolution1          

endeavoring to preserve a cheerful      
countenance1 that1 as far as possible1  
she might preserve her son from         
unnecessary pain in the hour of         
departure4  ,here1 my son1 said she1 is 
a nice pair of stockings1 which will be 
soft and warm for your feet4 ,i have run
 the heels for you1 for ,i am afraid you
 will not find any one who will quite   
fill a mother's place4  ,the poor boy   
was overflowing with emotion1 and did   
not dare to trust his voice with an     
attempt to reply4  ,i have put a little 
piece of cake here1 for you may be      
hungry on the road1 and ,i will put it  
in the top of the bundle1 so that you   
can get it without any difficulty4 ,and 
in this needle-book ,i have put up a few
 needles and some thread1 for you may at
 times want some little stitch taken1   
and you will have no mother or sister to
 go to4  ,the departing son could make  
no reply4 ,he could retain his emotion  
only by silence4 ,at last the rumbling  
of the wheels of the stage was heard1   

and the four horses were reined up at   
the door4 ,the boy endeavored1 by       
activity1 in seeing his trunk and other 
baggage properly placed1 to gain        
sufficient fortitude to enable him to   
articulate his farewell4 ,he1 however1  
strove in vain4 ,he took his mother's   
hand4 ,the tear glistened for a moment  
in her eye1 and then silently rolled    
down her cheek4 ,he struggled with all  
his energy to say good by1 but he could 
not4 ,in unbroken silence he shook her  
hand1 and then in silence received the  
adieus of brothers and sisters1 as one  
after another took the hand of their    
departing companion4 ,he then took the  
warm hand of his warm-hearted father4   
,his father tried to smile1 but it was  
the struggling smile of feelings which  
would rather have vented themselves in  
tears4 ,for a moment he said not a word1
 but retained the hand of his son1 as he
 accompanied him out of the door to the 
stage4 ,after a moment's silence1       
pressing his hand1 he said1 ,my son1 you

 are now leaving us2 you may forget your
 father and your mother1 your brothers  
and your sisters1 but1 oh1 do not forget
 your ,god6  ,the stage door closed upon
 the boy1 ,the crack of the driver's    
whip was heard1 and the rumbling wheels 
bore him rapidly away from all the      
privileges and all the happiness of his 
early home4 ,his feelings1 so long      
restrained1 now burst out1 and1 sinking 
back upon his seat1 he enveloped himself
 in his cloak1 and burst into tears4    
,hour after hour the stage rolled on4   
,passengers entered and left2 but the   
boy 7perhaps ,i ought rather to call him
 the young man7 was almost insensible to
 every thing that passed4 ,he sat1 in   
sadness and in silence1 in the corner of
 the stage1 thinking of the loved home  
he had left4 ,memory ran back through   
all the years of his childhood1         
lingering here and there1 with pain1    
upon an act of disobedience1 and        
recalling an occasional word of         
unkindness4 ,all his life seemed to be  

passing in review before him1 from the  
first years of his conscious existence1 
to the hour of his departure from his   
home4 ,then would the parting words of  
his father ring in his ears4 ,he had    
always heard the morning and evening    
prayer4 ,he had always witnessed the    
power of religion exemplified in all the
 duties of life4 ,and the undoubted     
sincerity of a father's language1       
confirmed as it had been by years of    
corresponding practice1 produced an     
impression upon his mind too powerful   
ever to be effaced--,my son1 you may    
forget father and mother1 you may forget
 brothers and sisters1 but1 oh1 do not  
forget your ,god4 ,the words rung in his
 ears4 ,they entered his heart4 ,again  
and again his thoughts ran back through 
the years he had already passed1 and the
 reviving recollections brought fresh   
floods of tears4 ,but still his thoughts
 ran on to his father's parting words1  
forget not your ,god4  ,it was midnight 
before the stage stopped1 to give him a 

little rest4 ,he was then more than a   
hundred miles from home4 ,but still his 
father's words were ringing in his ears4
 ,he was conducted up several flights of
 stairs to a chamber in a crowded hotel4
 ,after a short prayer1 he threw himself
 upon the bed1 and endeavored to obtain 
a little sleep4 ,but his excited        
imagination ran back to the home he had 
left4 ,again he was seated by the       
fireside4 ,again he heard the soothing  
tones of his kind mother's voice1 and   
sat by his father's side4 ,in the       
vagaries of his dream1 he again went    
through the scene of parting1 and wept  
in his sleep as he bade adieu to        
brothers and sisters1 and heard a       
father's parting advice1 ,oh1 my son1   
forget not your ,god4  ,but little      
refreshment could be derived from such  
sleep4 ,and indeed he had been less than
 an hour upon his bed1 before some one  
knocked at the door1 and placed a lamp  
in his room1 saying1 ,it is time to get 
up1 sir3 the stage is almost ready to   

go4 ,he hastily rose from his bed1 and  
after imploring a blessing upon himself1
 and fervently commending to ,god his   
far-distant friends1 now quietly        
sleeping in that happy home which he had
 left for ever1 he hastened down stairs1
 and soon again was rapidly borne away  
by the fleet horses of the mailcoach4   
,it was a clear autumnal morning4 ,the  
stars shone brightly in the sky1 and the
 thoughts of the lonely wanderer were   
irresistibly carried to that home beyond
 the stars1 and to that ,god whom his   
father had so affectingly entreated him 
not to forget4 ,he succeeded1 however1  
in getting a few moments of troubled    
sleep1 as the stage rolled on2 but his  
thoughts were still reverting1 whether  
asleep or awake1 to the home left far   
behind4 ,just as the sun was going down 
the western hills1 at the close of the  
day1 he alighted from the stage1 in the 
village of strangers1 in which he was to
 find his new home4 ,not an individual  
there had he ever seen before4 ,many a  

pensive evening did he pass1 thinking of
 absent friends4 ,many a lonely walk did
 he take1 while his thoughts were far   
away among the scenes of his childhood4 
,and when the winter evenings came1 with
 the cheerful blaze of the fireside1    
often did he think1 with a sigh1 of the 
loved and happy group encircling his    
father's fireside1 and sharing those    
joys he had left for ever4 ,but a       
father's parting words did not leave his
 mind4 ,there they remained4 ,and they1 
in connection with other events1        
rendered effectual by the ,spirit of    
,god1 induced him to endeavor to        
consecrate his life to his ,maker's     
service4 ,in the hopes of again meeting 
beloved parents and friends in that     
home1 which gilds the paradise above1 he
 found that solace which could no where 
else be obtained1 and was enabled to go 
on in the discharge of the duties of    
life1 with serenity and peace4 ,reader1 
you must soon leave your home1 and leave
 it for ever4 ,the privileges and the   

joys you are now partaking1 will soon   
pass away4 ,and when you have gone forth
 into the wide world1 and feel the want 
of a father's care1 and of a mother's   
love1 then will all the scenes you have 
passed through1 return freshly to your  
mind1 and the remembrance of every      
unkind word1 or look1 or thought1 will  
give you pain4 ,try1 then1 to be an     
affectionate and obedient child4        
,cultivate those virtues which will     
prepare you for usefulness and happiness
 in your maturer years1 and above all1  
make it your object to prepare for that 
happy home above1 where sickness can    
never enter1 and sorrow can never come4 
,,the ,,end4      ,,publications ,,of   
,,american ,,tract ,,society            
,d',aubigne's ,hist4 of the             
,reformation1 #d vols41 cloth extra1 #a 
#ge4 ,saints' ,rest1 large type4 ,guide 
to ,y'ng ,disciples4 ,bunyan's          
,pilgrim's ,prog4 ,elijah the ,tishbite4
 ,volume on ,infidelity4 ,nevins'       
,pract4 ,thoughts4 ,nevins' ,thoughts   

,on ,popery4 ,religion and ,eter4 ,life4
 ,jay's ,morning ,exercises4 ,flavel's  
,meth4 of ,grace4 ,doddridge's ,rise and
 ,progress4 ,bogue's ,evidences of      
,christianity4 ,flavel's ,fount'n of    
,life4 ,life of ,martyn4 ,baxter's      
,call1 large type4 ,baxter's ,call1     
small type4 ,mason's ,spirit4 ,treasury4
 ,baxter's ,saints' ,rest4 ,hall's      
,scripture ,history4 ,gregory's ,letters
 on ,infidelity4 ,edwards' ,history of  
,redemption4 ,morison's ,counsels to    
,young ,men4 ,pike's ,persuasives to    
,early ,piety4 ,anxious ,inquirer       
,edwards on ,revivals4 ,mason's ,self   
,knowledge ,bishop ,hopkins on ,ten     
,commandments4 ,reformation in ,europe4 
,henry on ,meekness4 ,practical ,piety1 
by ,hannah ,more4 ,baxter's ,dying      
,tho'ts4 ,memoir of ,mrs4 ,graham4      
,baxter's ,life1 chiefly by himself4    
,complete ,duty of ,man4 ,anecdotes for 
the ,family ,circle4 ,owen on           
,forgiveness of ,sin1 ,psalm #acj4      
,alleine's ,alarm4 ,jay's ,christian    

,contemplated4 ,keith's ,evidences of   
,prophecy4 ,memoir of ,mrs4 ,sarah ,l4  
,h4 ,smith4 ,spirit of ,popery4 ,life of
 ,rev4 ,sam4 ,kilpin4 ,abbott's ,y'ng   
,christian4 ,wilberforcs's ,prac4 ,view4
 ,fuller's ,backslider4 ,sacred ,songs1 
7,hymns and ,tunes47 ,life of ,david    
,brainerd4 ,flavel on ,keeping the      
,heart4 ,melvill's ,bib4 ,thoughts4 ,do4
 7,patent ,notes47 ,mammon4 ,by ,harris4
 ,flavel's ,touchstone4 ,nelson on      
,infidelity4 ,life of ,samuel ,pearce4  
,redeemer's ,last ,command4 ,bible not  
of ,man4 ,edwards on ,affections4       
,memoir of ,dr4 ,payson4 ,mem4 of       
,hannah ,hobble4 ,beecher on            
,intemper'ce4 ,memoir of ,mrs4 ,h4 ,l4  
,winslow4 ,life of ,john ,newton4 ,mem4 
of ,norm'nd ,smith ,gurney on ,love to  
,god4 ,self-,deception4 ,mem4 of ,jas4  
,b4 ,taylor4 ,memoir of ,h4 ,page4      
,appeal to ,mothers4 ,memoir of ,rev4   
,dr4 ,buchanan4 ,abbott's ,moth1 at     
,home4 ,young ,man from ,home4 ,social  
,hymns4 ,hymns to ,sacred ,songs4       

,,books ,,for ,,the ,,young4    ,peep of
 ,day4 ,child's ,book on ,repentance4   
,amos ,armfleld1 or the ,leather-covered
 ,bible4 ,line upon ,line4 ,precept upon
 ,precept4 ,amelia1 the ,pastor's       
,daughter4 ,youth's ,book of ,natural   
,theology4 ,child's ,hymn ,book4        
,select1 by ,miss ,caulkins4 ,nathan ,w4
 ,dickerman4 ,script4 ,animals1 #af     
cuts4 ,elizabeth ,bales4 ,mary ,lothrop4
 ,letters to ,little ,children1 #ac     
cuts4 ,emily ,maria4 ,john ,mooney      
,mead4 ,newton's ,letters to an ,adopted
 ,daughter4 ,henry ,obookiah4 ,watts'   
,divine and ,moral ,songs4 ,gallaudet's 
,life of ,josiah4 ,child's ,book on the 
,sab4 ,the ,dairyman's ,daughter1 etc4  
,abbott's ,child at ,home4 ,with        
numerous similar works4    ,,also       
,sabbath ,manual1 ,parts #a1 #b1 and #c4
 #f #a_/b cents4 ,temperance ,manual1   
#e4 ,in ,,german--#ca vols4 various     
sizes4 ,in ,,french--#ab vols4 ,in      
,,welsh--,pilgrim's ,progress and       
,baxter's ,saints' ,rest and ,call4     

,also1 upwards of #ajjj ,tracts and     
,children's ,tracts1 separate1 bound1 or
 in packets1 adapted for convenient sale
 by merchants and traders1 many of them 
with beautiful engravings--in ,english1 
,german1 ,french1 ,spanish1 ,portuguese1
 ,italian1 ,dutch1 ,danish1 ,swedish1   
and ,welsh4