The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1853-06-16
ALittls Child Shall Lead Him.

Little Child Shall Lead Him.
There is something pretty ab out the power and
might of little children, from the pen of some
gentle hearted lady unknown lone cold win
ter morning L looked into q milliners shop and
there | saw hale, hearty, and well-browned
young fellow from the country, with his long
cart whip, aud lion shag coat holding up some
little matter and turning it about in his great
fist. And what do you suppose it was A
babys bonnet A little. soft. blue satin hood,
with a swans down border, white as the frill of
rich blond around the edge. BY his side stood
II very pretty woman, holding, with no small
pride, the baby for evidently it was the baby
And one could read the fact in every glance as
they looked each other, and ut the little hood,
and then al the large, blue, unconscious eve,
and fat, dimpled cheeks of the little one 1t was
evident that neither of them had seen a
baby like that before J But really, Mary. said
the young man, is not three COL ars very high p
Mary very prudenty said nothing, but taking
the hood, tied it the little head, and held up
the baby. The man looked and grinned, and
without another word. down went the three dol
lars, (all the last weeks butter came to, and,
they walked out of the shop it is hard to say
which looked the most delighted with the bar
gain. 'Ah,' thought l. "a little child shall lead
them, 'Ah, these children little witches =
pretty even in all their thoughts and absurdi-
ties winning even in their sins and iniqui-
ties!-See, for example. yonder little fellow in
IL naughty mt he mas shaken MS long curlS over
his deep blue eyes, the fair brow is bent in n
frown, the rose-leaf is pushed up in nfantine de-
fai c and the white shoulder thrust naughtiIy
forward. Can any but child look so pretty
even in its naughtiness Then comes the in
slant change; flashing smiles and tears-as
the good comes back all in rush. and you are
overwhelmed with protestations, promises and
kisses, They irresistible, too, these little
ones They pull away the scholar's pen tumble
about his papers make somersets over his
books; and what can he do ? They tear up
newspapers; litter the carpets break, pull,
and upset, and then jabber their unintelligibe
English in self-defence /; and what can you do
for yourself If I had n child says the pre-
else man, you shall see!' He does have Il child
and his child tears up his papers, tumbes over
his things and pulls his nose, like all children
and what has the precise man to say for himself?
Nothing. He is like everybody else "a little
child shall lead han i" Poor little children, they
bring and teach US, human beings more good
than they get III return. How often does the iL-
fant, with its soft cheek and helpless hand,
awaken Il mother from wOrldliness and egotlsm
to whole world of new and higher feeling
How often does the mother repay this by doing
her best to wipe off, even before the time, the
dew and fresh simplicity of childhood, and make !
her daughter too soon woman of the world, as !
she has been. The hardened heart of the world |
ly man is touched by the guileless tones and SIM
pie caresses of his son. but he repays it in time,
by imparting to his boy all the crooked tricks
and hard ways, and calious maxims, which have /
undoue himself Go to the jail-the penitenti- |
find there the wretched most sullen, |
tai, and hardened. Then look at your in |
FAINT such to some mother was this man. |
That hard hand was soft and delicate that |
rough voice was tender and lisping fond eyes |
followed as he played ; and he rocked as |
holy There time when his |
heart, soft and unknown, might have been open |
ed to questions of his Maker, and been sealed
tl, 4la cna1 Of hoo RIIt h1rS han de
seized it, and all is over with him for ever So !
of the tender, weeping child-he is made the |
callous, heartess man of the sneering scepuc I
of the beautiful and modest, the Shameless |
and Northumberland this is what the world does |
for the little. There was n lime when the Di-
vine One stood upon the earth, and little chill !
iren sought to draw near him. But harsh hu-
man beings stood between him and them, forbid |
ling their approach. All, has it always been |
SO Do not even we, with our hard and unsub-
lued feeling, worldly and unscriptural hab-
is and maxims, standhk n dark scretr between
our child and its Saviour, and keep, even from
the choice bud of our heart, the ia liance which
ght unfold it for paradise Suffer little
,hilden to come unto me, and forbid them not,
is still the voice of the Son of God but the cold
world still closes around and forbids. When of
old disciples would question their Lord of the
higher mysteries of his kingdom, he took a
child and set him in the midst as sign of him
who would be greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
That gentle teacher still acts the little child in
the midst of us Wouldst thou know. parent,
what is that faith which unlocks heaven Go
not to wrangling Polemics creeds, forms
Of theology; but draw to thy bosom thy little
one. read in that clear and trusting eye the les
son of eternal life. Be only to thy God rs thy
child is to thee, and all is done. Blessed shalt
thou be indeed-.a litt child shall lead thee
WITTY REPARTEE.-Whie lettering in the
Art Union Gallery, we were much amused at /
an encounter of wit between three artists, who t
we're discussing and satirizing each others |
styles Two of them, wood engraver. and a I
marine painter, conjoined to depreciate the work |
Of third, portrait painter, who at last, pro-