Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1846-10-08
CHILDREN.
BIT MRS. HARRIET BEEcHKR STOWE.
ga little child shall lead them"

I
"a little child shalt lead them"
One cold market morning, looked into ,
milliner's shop, and there saw a hale, hearty
well-browned young fellow from the country
with his long cart whip. and lion shag coat
holding up some little matter. and turning I
about on his great fist And what do yot
suppose it was a boby's bonnet A lIi;ls
soft, blue, satin hood, with swans dowr
| border, white as the new fallen snow. with /,
| frill Of rich blonde around the edge.
| BY his side stood very pretty woman hold
ing with no small pride the baby--for evident
| ly il was baby. ANY one could read tina
fact IN every glance, as they looked at each
other, and then al the large. blue, unconciou'
eyes and fat dimpled cheeks of the little one
| Ii was evident that neither Of them had eyei
seen baby like that before.
"But really, Mary" said the young man
"isnt three dollars very high I"
Mary very pruden,ly SAID nothing, but Ia
king the little bonnet, tied il on the little head
and held up the little baby. The man looked
and without another word down went the three
dollars--all that the last weeks butter came to
and as they walked out Of the shop, il is hard
TO say which looked most pleased with the
bargain.
"Ah," thought. ga little child may lead
them"
Another day as was passing carriage
factory along one OF our principal back streets
saw young mechanic at work on wheel
The rough body of carriage stood beside
him--and there, wrapped up snugly, all hood
ed and cloaked, sat little dark eyed girl, about
year old, playing with great shaggy dog
As stopped, the man looked up from his work
nd uur peyix, nrdo
panion, as much as 10 say, "see what have
got hereI"
!" thought |, '.and if the little lady
ever gets glance from admiring SWANS az
sincere as that, she will be lucky"
All, these ch,ldrenl little witches, pretty even
in all their faults and and absurdities See, for
example, yonder little fellow in naughty iii
he has shaken has long curls over his deep
blue eyes /; the fair brow is bent in frown--
the fose-leaf lip is pursed up in infinite def
ance-and the white shoulder thrust naughti-
ly forward. Can any but child look so pref
lty even IN their naughtIness
Then comes the instant change-hashing
smiles and tears, as the good comes back all in
a rush, and you are overwhelmed with protes-
tatons, promises and klssesi They are ire
slStlble, too, these little ones. They pull away
the scholars pen-tumble about his paper
make somersets over his books, and wha. can
he do2 They tear up misrepresentation the
carpets-break, pull and upset, and then jab-
Der unimaglnable English in self defiance, and
what can you do for yourself2
''lf had child" says the precise man
'you should see."
He does have child, and his child tear, up
his papers, tumbies over his things, and pulls
his nose, like all other children, and what has
the precise man TO say for himselfl Nothing
like every body else--"a little child may
lead him"
The hardened heart of the worldly man is
unlocked by the guileless tones and simple ca.
resses OF his son-but he repays it in time, by
impartipg to his boy all the crooked tricks, and
hard ways, and callous maxlms which have
undone himself.
Go TO the jail--to the peniteniary, and find
there the wretch most sulen, brutal and har-
dened Then look at your infant son. Such
as he is TO you, such 10 some mother was this
man. That hard hand was soft aud delicate
that rough voice was tender and lisplng-
fond eyes followed him as he played-and he
was rocked and Graded as something holy.
There was time when his heart, soft and I'M
worn, might have opened 10 questionings OF
God and Jesus, and been scaled with the seal
OF Heaven. But harsh hands selzed lt--herce,
goblin lneaments were impressed upon IT.
all is over with HIM 'orever'
SO of the tender, weeping child, is made
the callous. heariless rnsn--of the all-beieving
child, the sneering skeptic-of the BEAUTIFUL and
the modest, the shameless and abandoned
and this is what the ,corld does for the little
one.
There was a time when the D;piu, ON, stood