Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-03-24
"SAW UP AND SAW DOWN."
COncludcd

Although il does my heart good TO rccur 10
these teachings Of my mother, yet | will moi
r now finger upon this evening, when she first
assembled US around The family altar, and
dedicated us all to The Father of mercies. |
remember how she named each name, and
commended us to the restraining providence
and the gracious love of or Lord and Savior.
we seemed TO feel that something new had
happened to us, and that we were standing
upon higher and more responsible ground
Than we had ever done before. And then,
with what patience did she carry out her prin-
cipies! 'rAh!" said Madison the other day,
ut was saving wood that made me-" Now
Maidstone duty at one time, consisted in saw
Ing eleven sticks of wood every morning,
which duty he thoroughly hated not that
saving was so very bad, but w0yking was /;
he would rather lounge upon the green. 1t
was very apt 10 be, in his estimation, either
loo warm, or too cold, or too pleasant to work,
or 100 bad some way or other, unless, indeed,
a troop OF boys were aroused 10 i~nspirit him.
The presence Of Phillip or James Giles was
quite indispensable 10 a steady saving, 10
help him or admire him, or 10 urpe him on.
some way or other. 1t happened one morn
ing, that Phillip was gone upon some GRAND,
and Madison went forth TO his mornings work
alone. 1t was not long before he appeared
before our mother, begging her TO come and
see how well he could work but she could
not leave just then. lie soon appeared again.
complaining that the wood was too knottv
she begged him not 10 be daunted by a knot.
y tHiTd time he came, and it was too warm,
= too warm by half;" a fourth, and his foot
was lame, dreadful lame; he must give his
work up that morning, he was certain" Up-
on this, he flung himself with an air of salts
faction into a chair. Madison was fruitful in
excuses. Dur mother quietly arose, and taking
hun by the hand, led him back to The wood
house. Pointing to the wood, she said, with
that hrmness which meantsomething 'The1e
Is your duty, my son. DO IL; one stick at "A
time, and 1t is done; it is only saw up and
saw down, patiently and courageously. Now
DO lt-conquer lt-or you are not fit TO be a
man." Madison well knew there was no
galnsaylng her, and that it must be done be-
side, "it was only saw up and saw down.
and what was there SO formidable in all that I
lie began 10 consider, after all, that il did not
appear to be much, or a very difficult work {;
and Is 1t not so with all we have 10 do Bv
The bulk, our work may look large and formi-
dable; but if we patiently and courageously
go at IL, II Is only the saw up and saw
down" which lessons, conquers and finishes,
and we are surprised TO find what a simple
business 1t Is. Madison took up his saw and
went 10 work; little by little, saw up and say
down., patiently and courageously, and it was
done! Madison declared it was the hardest
struggle he ever had the first thing he ever
persevered In, but IL was done. Tie nile dis
appeared before his own resoluteness.
- es, 1t was the first time | ever felt nv
self worth anything" he saws. IauobinG :.
then knew was greater than a wood
pile"
My mother neither praised or paid him
when the work was done; she left him TO
the hrst conscious enjoyment of his ability
10 do, and 1t was plainly visible in the firm,
independent step with which entered the
kitchen.
But a cow, a COW would add greatly to our
stock OF comforts, and a cow my mother was
anxious oil possessing. AS for the BOYS, il
formed The sum-total of their wishes the
coHsunInatlon most d%evoully 10 be wished
loi; IL was ascertalned that Mr.. Giles would
sell one of his heifers. "But there is no wav
for us TO earn her," said Phil, for the hum.
dredth time, as we were talking over the mat
ter one afternoon in the empty barn ..and
earn her we must. Where there is a will
the.e is a way, mother SAYS"
"Nes, l suppose So" added Madison. re-
luctanily "but if somebody would only give
us one''-he had ceased speaking of Mr..
Madison Jones in that light, Tor Mr.. Madison
seldom came to see us.
but we must not depend upon people's
giving us, or any such chance-like sort of
ways mother says. We must look to our
selves; that's the true way,'' said Phillip.
g! suppose it is" slowly admitted Door
Madison. ~
Behold three boys in Mr.. Giles MOVING
field the smallest, a pale child, sitting mn.
der an aPple-tree, with a little tin pail beside
him, and watching, with delight, the move
men's OF his two brothers, as they tossed
about the new-mown hay, and longing to be
with them. Alas! his lesson was patient
waiting. They worked as the sun rose high
the grass.
4" am sick of it, that's a fact" at last said
the %tsiles', as he tumbled upon a new-inown
swath.
"uP and be DOING said his companion:
"le's not finch. We must 20 though with