Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-03-02
OuRFather. ,

-
Often in theRdbning when we waken, we
hear a little childish voice saying, come Bob
by, lets So our prayer and then together
both little voices offer up that most beautiful
Of atpetitions-
'our Father which art in Heaven
All over The world, in castle and hall, by the
prince and by the peasant, is that nost beau
tlful prayer rcpeated-but above al, sounds it
sweetest When lisped by the snnny-haired child
atits mothers knee. Mark the little bending
form-the hair put softly back, the tiny white
hands folded, the reverenced glance bent to-
wards hers. rs though it saw a Saviour in its
mothers eyes.
Blessed little children. What a dreary waste, !
what q wide and ~fruitless wilderness would
this world be without them! How often the
toiling mother wakes almost despairing-there
is no food in the house her c~caselcSS labor
will hardly buy bread.
As she looks upon the red sun-rising, with
sad :orebodingS, and knows not how sic shall
procure a meal for her little ones-sweetlv,
steal upon her senses, the murmuring of infant
VOICES. She listens. Her yery babes are look.
my truStin9ly towards heaven. They have
hushcd their sports, and kneeling together by
their poor couch they saw
Give US this day our daily bread
Her soul grows strong within her; she knows
God will never forsake her--lnd with tears she
thanks Tim tina. she ever taught them how to
pray.
And are there little children who never say
Our Father! Are there mothers so lost to
all that is holy aud beautiful in heaven and on
earth, that they put their babes To sleep with
out teaching them upon whose arm they rest :?
When night folds her starry curtain about them
,p1 4ln M, InDIyy 1,,.n ;l,o,;1r fL, r,n,d
ows. and spangling tile trees, do they not teH
them who in His goodness made all this beauty
and how with sweet confidence they should
trust in him?
We turn shudderingly from the picture Of Il
prayerIess mother. Parents, if your CHILDREN
have navey repeated Our Father at their
nightly prisons, teach them now. When you
are lying in your silent graves, the memory OF
that little sentence, lead US not into temptation
, may bear them safely through a world Of DAN
ger. NJ. \. D.
, CoURTING.-That is rather a delicate sub
+ ject, we know but then, we dare say, a sub
|, ject bearing this head will be read by the
|, ladies as quick as anything IN which their
t eyes can rest. And it is for their benefit we
f are now writing.
There is something in the idea Of counting
D WIllCl CctSCS I'll luuCSCtlDdDlG LIillIs VI t
have just read the following account Of how
the ladies do up these things in Rome, and
which may offer them SOM useful hints
: "a Roman lady who takes a liking to q
| foreigner does not cast her eyes down when
he looks at her, but fixes them upon him
: long, and with evident pleasure-nay, she
0 gazes at him alone, whenever she meets hin
: i'll company, at church, at the theatre, or il
\ Tier walks. She will say, without ceremony
y to a friend of the young man Tell that gen
G tleman | like him. If the man Of her choict
feels the like sentiment, and asks, Are you
fond Of me :" she replies with the utmos
e f~rankness, Yes, my dear"
There, that is coming to the point at once
and.not going round about with bushes an
simpering, and finally get out "no," whel
lc yes is extended. What is the use of MAXIM
: such a stammoring and suffering about
lie when one is o~yerioyed with pleasure.
r The ladies Of Rome do not seem 70 be at a.
10 troubled with any undue restraints of delica
cy and modesty. They say what they thinl
and act accordingly. On the contrary, GU
k American ladies are so modest and bashfu
tn and they let all the good opportunities sli
re through their fingers while they are blushin
he behind a fan. They would not for the worl
let a young man suppose they cared anythin
i'll about him, though they might be dying wit
love. Now we think it best to split the di
ference. The Roman ladies go rather tC
ed fast and American ladies & little too slow ?
9 Our advice is that you take for your " pla
he form" the " compromise" and unite the tw,
he Medium ground is generally safe. But don
n forget, time is flying.