Price, $1 a year.) From the New York Observer. THS SENTINEL. BT JULIA lUCHO BAKER. Oh, how I wish that I could give to. you the incident in the quaint diction, which was the spontaneous out-flow of the Scotch-Irish soul of old Hester McBride. Long shall I recall with infl- Bite delight that sunny afternoon of the 12th July, 18—. We were all aware that it was ^^Orange man's Day,” as, clambering about her patient presence, we plied her with questions, all of which she answered to the limit of her scant w isdom. "Now, aunty, do please tell us something about the Battle of the Boyne.” "Aye, the Battle of the Boyne!” and she passed her hand over her smooth, white brow, near which laid the silvery looks ofthreescore and ten years. “The Battle of the Boyne, and were not ^l my kith and kin there? Ah, how many times, while we sat in the gloaming', did they tell we baimes of the Wren, and the great work the wee bir die did. Lang syne—ye must have patience, and I will tell ye all.'' Let us listen while she Bings. la the beauteful Island of Erin, i^Where the shamrock in comeliness smiles Where nature witli verdure perennial, Has clothed this, our lovely green isle. In this spot so favored of heaven, Would ye look for revenge and hate, Where brother ’gainst brother would battle, Wirii hatred which knew no sate? Even.so have tlvoso of old told us. As we sat by the ingle at home, How those of the Protestant faithful Met those of the church of Rome. Near the hanks of a shining river, Two armies were just in view, So the sun at his setting had left them, To slumder the long niglit.through. Thus man with frail wisdom had or dered, Not dreaming that Wisdom above Had otherwise, In his omniscience, Decreed it for those of his love. As His angel-guards watched over Ja cob, And ever encamp round the just, His infinitft love calls the smallest T’ accomplish His purpose august. The moon slowly steals from the orient, r In the splendor of silvery robe ; And the sentinels lone greet hereomlng. As each on his lone “beaf’stillstrode. "All Is welll” sordreams the reformer. And sends a low whisper to heaven, Asking grace for the work of the mor row, Full knowing that grace will be given, The moom has fulfilled her bright mis sion, And gone to her home in the sea; Theie exhales a low breathing to heav en— “0 God I guard my loved ones and mel” But list! in the distance a murmur, As of far-away drum-beat is heard; Our sentinel pauses, and near him, On a drum sees a tiny h-own iirdj He listens 1 he waits! and he hears it again! He looks! with a bound his heart springs! For he sees that the tmy bird souuds the alarm On the drum! With Its tiny brown wings! Yesj it gathers the crumbs from the head of the drum, Which the sohlier had Icit in his haste; These infinite fragments, thus leathered with joy, Cannot fall to the ground, cannot waste. ’Tis well that he listens and heeds the alarm, Forfar in the distance he spies The light of camp-fires,—tlie glitter of arms Is flashed on his awe-stricken eyes. The alarm is sounded from post to post, And quick as a flash all are ready; With a prayer on each lip, flvni resolve in each Iieart, They gather, and each step is steady. The foe is surprised! they who hoped to surprise Are defeated, and driven as a herd; While those, the victorious, around thoir camp-flres, Thank heaven for the* tiny brown bii-d! When out in the fleld, through the clear summer air, Her cheery, shrill whistle is heard; The Protestant faithful of Urin ex claims— “Bless God for that tiny brown bird!” A right bonnie lesson she reads to us all. If we’ll have the wisdom to know;— “Dear fellow, strive ever some kind ness to show. Making [life radiant with liglit which shall glow. Keeping warm, sunny hearts, whose love shall o’erflow Like the song of jour sweet Jenny Wren.” HIS TFMPTATIOH. BY MRS. L. M. BAYNE. It lay there just within rea h, the pretty, glittering thing, dropped carelessly on the velvet lining of the jewel er's window-tray, just as it had fallen from the case when some hasty hand had moved it, and the man standing out side knew that he could slip in and snatch it, unnoticed, at almost K- y moment when the door opened, and what a beau tiful thing it would be for his Janey to wear on her dainty white neck! His Jauey! The jewels in their velvet cases faded out of sight; the gold neckchain with its engrrved heart-shf^j- ed locket van'^hed, an.^ there stood before him a little slen der child, with the light of heaven in her eyes, with soft, falling locks of bright hair, with pale lips, and the weary wasted look which suffering brings overshadowing her like the clouding of an an gel’s wings. Ah! an. angel! And he wanted the golden, glittering bauble for her—-he would sell bis soul that his child might have the paltery, perishable thing! He went on his way then, grimy, unwashed—a laboring man who had no work to do— nothing to live on but prom ises and the little his good wife could earn by a day’s la bor whenjshe could leave Ja * ney, the sick child. He went home to the one poci' room they occupied, and was cau tioned not to wake tho little one. She was very sick-- the doctor had been there, and said it was a' crisis she must be keptj very quiet. The man strod e to the bed and looked, at her^ his one wee lamb. Thpre she lay, sunk deep in the poor pillow, scarcely alive, scarcely breathing, her cheeks pale and sunken, her small hands crossed on her bosom. Should she wake she would ask with the pretty caprice of babyhood what “pappie’' had brought her, and he had not earned a penny that whole week. When the supper of bread , and tea was eaten he said he would go out and take a stroll while his wife cleared up the dishes, and he took bis hat and walked down the street in the direction of the jewel ers sto e. He half hoped that it would be closed, but it was not. He looked in the window; the gold chain lay there yet. Some purchaser hurried in, leaving the door open. He did not think of Janey; he did not think at all. The only thing he knew was that he was walking away, and clasped in the palm of his grimly, closed hand was the bauble he had coveted. It wv.s the first fruits of dishon or that hand had ever clasped. “Stop thief! Stop thief!” He ran when he heard that cry, not in the direction of home, but towards the river; he sped on with the words ringing a knell in his ears. Then he found he was not followed; they must have lost track of him, or—it couldn’t be that they meant him; his sin had not surely found him out so soon. He turned and went home. There all was confusion— lights, hurrying feet and a clergyman coming out with bowed head. What did it mean? He went in and saw his wife crying, and^a strange woman—Janey—oh, my God —Janey was dead! He had made himself a thief for noth ing. “Hugh, - Hugh, wake up! What’s the matter’ man? Here’s Mr, Gardiner waiting to see you; he wants to en gage you for reg’lar work,and Jenney’s betther; out of dan>' ger, the docther says. Wake up, man—what ails ye?’’ Sure enough, what did ail him? He jumoed out of his chair like a lunatic and hug ged Janey to his breast as if he would never let her go-— and Pm sure it’s a wonder it didn^t kill ^her-and then lifted his eyes to heaven, “The Lord be praised,’’he said, “it was only a dream!” “He must have been dreaming the child was dead,” said his wife; “he always has bad dreams when he sleeps af ter supper that way.” But he had dreamed that he was dead himself—moral-* ly dead in trespases and sin-- which would have separated him forever from little Janey. He had been tempted, but he had not fallen. “Oh, never from thy tempted heart Let thine integrity depart.” ^•^Betroit Free Press. Every human soul has the germ of some flowers within; and they would open if they could ouly find sunshine and free air to expand in. Not having enough of sunshine is what ails the world. Make peo ple happy, and there will not he half the quarreling, or a tenth part the wickedness there is.— M'S. Child. The secret of the universal success of Brown’s Iron Bitters is owing to the fact that it is the very best iron pre- paiation made. By a thorough and rapid assimilation with the blood It reaches every part of the body, giving health, strength and endurance to ev ery portion. Thus beginning at the foundation it builds up and restores lost health. It does not contain wliis- key or alcohol. It will not blacken the teeth. It does not constipate or cause headache, it will cure dyspepsia, in digestion, heartbuni, sleeplessness,diz- ziaess, nervous debility, weakness, etc. It is gratifying to notice that in the summer education al meetings the question of character education is not overlooked; and, indeed, that the subject is receiving gen erally more attention. Hith erto the mind, or at least the memory, has monopolized the attention of instructors, whose efforts have been bent upon cramming the child’s brain with facts, at the ex pense both of his imagination and heart. Now, however, the indica tions seem to promise a better state of things. People are waking up to the fact that the child has a character as well as an intellect to be train ed and developed, and that the school offers facilities for its education which have been too long neglected. As im portant contribution to the discussion of the subject is the symposium of Er. R, Heber Newton and Dr. Francis L. Patton, in the August North American. Of the two, Dr. Patton is the more philosophisal and profound. He discusses the grounds on which ethical in structions is based, and con cludes that “teaching moral ity’’ means teaching Christian morality, and Christian mor ality, rests upon revelation. Christian morality,” he in sists, “must be inculcated as the known expression of God's will, Protestant and Roman Catholics are in full accord upon this point, though they hold antagonistic views re garding the mode in which moral instruction should be conveyed. It is not likely that the Christian people who are known by these names can ever unite in the cordial sup port of the existing system of public education; but it is cer tain that as long as they re tain their Christian convic tions they will express their disaproval of every proposi tion that contemplates a non^ religious system of ethical in struction. Dr. Newton on his part, does not go as far as this. He makes no essential discrimi nation between secular and Christian ethics, and dis cusses expedients rather than principles. Ethical educa tion, he holds, may be carried on in three ways: through di rect instructions, through trainning, and through the in fluence of the spiritual atmos phere created in the school. He recomends as means of instruction “choice ethical readings, brief accounts of no ble men and women, tales of brave and fine actions, golden sayings, parables and allego ries,” etc., and purposes util izing also the daily incidents of the newspapers, which, he says, “furnish affectiugs mod els of heroism and tragic ex amples of consequences of vice.” The school disciplin he regards as already furnish ing valuable aid. Obedience, punctuality, cleanliness, good manners, are taught by the daily routine, though with these are commingled such unwliolesome influences as fear, self-love, for which a higher motive needs to be substituted. After all, however, he thinks the most potent element in ethical education is the school atmospher, and this is directly imparted bv the teacher., “Personal influence,” says Dr- Newton, “remains always the last and most vital formative power in the atmosphereic in fluence of a school. The schools that have been noted for the culture of character have always had a noble man or woman at the core of their wise systems.” The teacher will not nest with enuncia'* ting moral truths, or illustrat- ing them with beautiful ex amples, but will apply him self to training the individual conscience. More than this, “the true teacher of morality,” Dr. Patton writes, “will strive not only to cultivate the con science so that there will be a knowledge of what is right, but also to cultivate the char acter, so that there will be a disposition to do right. But to do this the educator must be educated: the nor mal schools must include in their course a department of ethical instructon and a wider view must be generally taken of the teacher’s-offioe; which, indeed, in the light 61 Dr. Pat ton’s article, becomes invested with the most solemn and pro found resnonsibiiities.—N. Y. Ohs. If a child is brought up in the coHstant exercise of cour'» tesy towards brothers and sis ters and playmates, as well as towards parents and uncles and aunts, it will have little to learn as it grows older. I know a bright and bewitching child who was well instructed in table etiquette, but who forgot her lossons sometimes as even older people do now and then. The arrangement' was made with Iier that, for every solecism of the sort she was to pay a flue of five cents, while for every similiar care lessness she should discover in her elders, she was tO’ ex act a fine of ten cents, their experience of life being longer than hers. You may be sure Mistress Bright Eyes watch ed the proceedings at the table very carefully. No slightest disregard of the most conven tional etiquette escaped her quick vision, and she was an inflexible creditor and faithful debtor. It was the prettiest siglit to see her, when con scious of^some failure on her o^n part, go unhesitatingly to her money-box and pay cheerfully her little tribune to the outraged proprieties.—Ex, Why Some Farmers do not Succeed. 'I'he ^‘Southern Farm’s Month ly” gives the following reasons why some farmers do not suc- seed: They are not active and indus trious. They are slothful in every thing. They do not keep up with im provements. They are wedded to old meth ods. They give no attention to de tails. They think small things not important. They take no pleasure in their work. They regard labor as a mis fortune. They weigh and measure stin- giiy- They are wasteful andjmprov- ident. They let their gates swag and fall down. They let their Ibwls^roost in the trees. They have no shelter for stock. They do not curry their horses. They leave their plows in the field. They hang the harnessj^in the dust. They put oft' greasing the wag on. They starv'© the calf and milk the oow. ■ • The don’t know the best is the cheapest. They have no method or sys tem. They see uo good in a now thing. Th^ never use paint oa the farm. They prop the barn door with a rail. They milik the cows late in the day. They have ibo time to do things well. They do not read the newspa^ pers and hooks,. A late student of Christ hurch was in the liabit of telling some wonderful stories in Commons Room, much to Oahorne Gordon’s amusement .0 much so, indeed, that when the narrator paused on the verge of some specially marvelous anecdote to explain that he could not vouch for it, Gordon was wont to en courage him by saying, “Tell it, L ', tell it; I’ll vouch for it.” One of L ’s anec dotes was that, when out fish ing one day, he had put his macintosh down by his side, and a cow came up and ate it To which 0. G. replied at once, and without moving a muscle. “Well, .1 only wish our cows at'Oxtord would do the same; we should have a chance of getting our milk waterproof.”—John Bull. THE MEDICINE OF SUNSHINE The world wants more sun shine in its dispoiition, in its business, in its theology. For ten thousand of the aches and pains, and iritation of men and women, recommend sunshine. It soothes betterjthan morphine. It stimulates better than cham pagne. It is the best plaster for a wound. The good Samaritan poured out into the traveler's gash more of this than of oil. Florence Nightingale -used it on the Crimenian battle-field. Take it !out into all their alleys, on board all the ships, by all the sick beds. Not a phial full, not a cup full. It is good for spleen, for li fer complaint, for neural gia, for rheumatism, for failing fortunes, for melancholy. N. Ur. C. N. Robe: rson,-Klm Gr ove, C., says: “I prescribe BrownIvon Bittn-.s in iny prj .dice ami liml U recoumwnded.” ^ If any one strikes my child he strikes me. A husband can understand it If any one injures his wife the injury touches him. These close human relasionship hel]) us to understand how dear belivers are to Christ, and how well defended they are. This trutli teaches us also to be most careful how we treat others, lest we be found lifting up our hand against Christ in the per son of bis lowly follwers.---/. li. Miller. ■,;l

Page Text

This is the computer-generated OCR text representation of this newspaper page. It may be empty, if no text could be automatically recognized. This data is also available in Plain Text and XML formats.

Return to page view