South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1853-05-27
A L,TTLE CHILD SHALL. LEADnIM.

"A Lei i IE Sttiisb S:l \ LII. LEA ID II | VI
Here is something pretty ahou: the rower
and might Of little chilIren, from tie p;n of
some sent!c-heur,cd lady unknown:
"One cold winter morning ] looked in
10 millinrr's shop, and there saw hale
hearty, and well-bEowned Young fellow
from ,hp country, with his long cant whip
and lion shag coat. holding up some lii.
tie matter, and turning i; ahou. in his grca
fist. Ard what DO yol suppose it was
a hany's bonnet y LITTLE, soft, blue sa.
lin hood, with a swans down border, whit.
as lie iiil Of Itch blond around The edge.
BY his s;s!e Stood very pretty woman
holding, with no small pride, the baby, 10,
evidently il was ihe baby. And one could
read the fact i'll every gl"ncr, as they look.
ed al each other, and at ne little hood, and
then a, the larg., l';'., unconscious .v..,
and fat, diprird checks Of til" little onr.
1t was evident that neither Of them had
ever seen baby like that before, sBu,
really, Mary said the young maa, sis not
three dollars very high!' Mary very pru-
IDENTIFY said nothing, but taking the hood,
tied il on the little head, and held up the
baby. The man looked and srinned, and
without another word, down went the
three dollars, (all the last weeks butter
came to- and, as they walked out OF the
shop it is hard TO say which looked the
most delighted with the bargain. sAh,'
thought ], "a little child shall lead them
All, these children little witches -
pretty even in all their thoughts and alb
s"rditirs winning even in their sins and
iniTui,i"s! See, for example, yonder lit
Tie i"liow in naughty fit he has shaken
his long curls over his deep blue eyes, the
fair brow is bent in frown, the rose-l.af
is pushed up in infaite defiance, and The
white shoulder thrust raughtiv forward.
Can any hut a child look SO pretty even in
its naughtiness! Then comes the instant
change; flashing smiles and trars-as the
good comes back all in rush, and YOU
are overwhelmed with protes,a.ions, pro-
misses, and kisses. They are irresistible,
too, these little ones. They pull away the
scholars pen tumble about his papers :;
make som"rsets over his books; and what
can he DO They tear up newspapers ::
litter the carpets; break, pull, and upset
and then jabber their uninteliigibIe Eng
ilsh III se!t-defenc- =: and what can YOU do
for YOURSELF t!fI had chid,' saws the
precise man, 'you should see" He DaEs
have a child and his child tears up his
papers, tumblrs over his things, and pulls
his nose, like all children: and what has
the precise man to say for himself! No.
thing. He Is Ike everybody .Is-: "a Ill
lie child shall lead HIM' Poor little chill
'irrn, ':i"y bring and teach us, human be-
IaGS, '9ors good than they get in return.
How o!:rn does the iniaot, with its soft
cheek and helpless hand, awaken mother
from wor!dii""ss and csotisfn 10 a whole
world o? n,'v' ard higher feeling. How
often does III" mother repay this by doing
her best 10 wi pc of, even before the tim,
the dew and fresh simplicity Of childhood,
and make hrr daughter loo soon n woman
Of the world, as she has been. The har-
d'ned heart o.! the worldly man is touched
o. The gullsless tones and simple ca..sses
OF his son, but he rrpays il in TIM, By ir-
parting to his boy all the crooked tricks
and hard ways, and cal!ous maxirns, which
have nndonc himself. Go TO the jail-thc
prnitentiary-and find there the wretch
ri, most suIien, brutal, and hardened. -
Then look at your infant son: such 10
some mother was this man. Tha, hard
hand was soft and drlicote: TIA, rourh
voice was tender anil Iispirg: fona eyes
followed as h. played; and he was rock
cd as something holy. There was a time
when lis heart, soft and unknown, might
nave been opened to Gu"si!onS Di his Ma
RI .f,.t a..
ven. But harsh hands seized il. and all is
over with him for ever. So Of the tender,
weeping chIid-hs IL made thu calIous,
hcsrtlcss man: Of t!Ir sReering scertic-
oi the beautiful and modest. tis shameless
and abandoned-and this is wra: III, world
ioFs Tor the little. There was .i:nc
when the Divine One stood upon III" earth,
md little children sought to draw mar
him. But harsh human beings stood be-
tween him aud them. !orbiGdirr their ap-
Proach. All, has ii aIwa:s been So DO
not even we, with our bard and unsubdu-
rd feeling, our worldly and urscr;p;ura,
habits and naSi'ns, stand ike dark screen
keep, even from The cho!rr "rui or n,if
heart, the radiarcr which iaight unfold il
for paradise? 'Snfrr lp'ti" children 20
CON. unto m", and forbid ths;r not is still
;hs voice of the Son Of God bat ii" cold
world still closes around and forb!s.---
When Of olh disciples would question fl,cir
Lord OF The higher mysteries OI his king
dom. hr took child and sat him in the
midst as sign Of him who wou'd II" great
RS. in the Kingdom of heaven. That crn-
ic teacher still acls The li',i. ciiiii in III
rri!;. q! US. Wcrids! ihcu know, . pa
rrr'. what is :.at .ait;i which u,Iork> i.a-
yea G., 10, 90 wrans'ing po!"ti.;cs or
c7rsds, or larms "f Theology. lut draw 10
thy bosom thy liltr one, read in that clear
and trusting eye tie lesson OF eternal LIE.
b. only to Thy God as Thy child is 10 ,hre,
and all is done. Bi"ascd shalt thou be- in.
dced-'a lille child shall lead thee"
to:rry AS, IprCATioN-1n those