Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-07-28

into our hearts this strong and wonderful love
for our children. Thus you learn with what
wisdom and goodness God has provided for
your infancy and childhood. If he had not
put this love into the parents heart, the child
would have been left to perish in its helpless
infancy. 1t is to God, therefore, that your
warmest gratitude is due for all the love and
care shown to you by earthly friends. Every
child before he sleeps and when he wakes,
should thank God with all his heart for this
great blessing-a parents love. Next to God
you owe lasting debt of gratitude to your pa
rents, and to those kind earthly friends who
nurture you in youth and who instruct you in
useful knowledge and in the ways of happiness
and virtue
said few minutes ago that you had great
er wants to be provided for, than those of the
body-food and clothing. The mind is to be
clothed with knowledge, and the heart instruc-
| ted into true and real life-a life of feeling,
OF love and gratitude and tender sympathy for
the sufferings and misfortunes of others If
you will give me your attention l will try to
make you understand this inner life-thS life
of the heart-the only life worth living for,
and without which, our stay here on earth is
but terrible death You know that we have
a very different life from that of the horse and
OK; yet they have bodies much stronger and
more powerful than our own they breathe,
eat, drink and sleep, and enjoy these pleasures
as much as we do This is the life of the
brute, or of the body alone, and you under
stand that it is no true true life for us. Our
real life is not in the growth and strength of
the body-in the pleasures of eating and drink
ing, nor yet in the number of years We live
but In what we know, and feel, and do. Here
within US is the true life of man. Is the mind
stored with the riches of knowledge Is the
heart hlled with love and gratitude to God,
and with love and sympathy for our fellow
men Are we just and honest in all our deal
ngS and intercourse with others Do we pi-
ty the unfortunate, and help the poor and needy
with liberal hand If so, then We shall live
true and beautiful, and happy life. If on
the other hand, the mind is dark with ignor-
ance-if the heart be debased by wicked pas
ssions-if we are selfish, cruel and unjust-if
we are filled with pride and envy, and hatred
| of our felow-men-if We oppresS the weak ,and
turn deaf eur to the cries of the poor and
friendless, then shall our life be like a dark
prison, into which light, and hope, and joy ne
yer enter. How miserable would life be in
the company of loathsome serpents If 90
where We would, snakes and scorpions attend
ed our every step If when we walked or
ate, or slept, they were coiliug around us their
Shiny bodies, kissing in our ears and singing
US with their poisonous fangs Such life
would be horrible indeed worse than thou
sand deaths. Yet like to this, and even more
terrible, is the life of the wicked and unjust
man. His heart is filled with cruelty, revenge,
pride, envy, hatred, malice, and a thousand evil
passions and desires these are the fiery scor-
plons that torment him day and night. They
sting him with remorse and fear He would
be glad to die, if thereby he could escape them;
but he cannot-they are hmself-his own
wicked thoughts and passions. His heart has
become like nest in which ugly serpents grow,
and they will be with him ever in this world,
and in the world to come. But for the good
there is happy lfe--a life of pure and gentle
thoughts and feelings Would it not be beau
tiful to live in the company of lovely birds, that
should be always around US with their sweet
songs, bringing Us messages of love from an
gels and bright flowers from paradise Oh,
would not such life be full of Joy and happi-
ness And such life is yours, dear children,
if you cherish within your hearts kind and gen
tie feelings-truth, mercy, charity and love
these are the beautiful birds that shall bring
y
paradise and they will be always with YOU
here and in the life beyond the grave they
are your own good thoughts and pure atfec-
tions. God has SO ordered-it is one of His
great and unchanging laws, that the wicked
shall be miserable even in this life, and that to
be happy we must be good. So certain as the
sun rises and sets, giving day and night to the
world, thus certain is it that the wicked pas
sions of the heart if allowed to grow there,
will become like fiery scorpions to torment US
but if we cherish good affections these will
fill the heart, driving out the evil passions and
making our lives beautiful and full of peace
and joy. knowledge is light to the mind
ignorance is darkness Virtue brings happ-
nesss-wckedness brings woe. You see, chill
dren, how necessary it is that your hearts and
minds should be instructed in the ways of vir-
tue and in the paths of knowledge. Upon the
progress you make, depends your characterand
well-being as men and women. Be kind and
obedient loving and grateful to those who so
patiently work for your instruction. A faith
full teacher, next to God, is your best friend
often much better friend than fond and too
indulgent parent. Be vigilant and attentive
in your studies, kind and gentle toward each
other, and to your teachers loving and obedent.
Striveto learn. Let your minds hunger and
thirst after knowledge; it is of more value
than gold or silver Cherish in your hearts
every good thought and kindly affection thus
shall you lay up for yourselves the true riches
of ,fe-riches that you can carry with you
beyond the grave, and that will never fee
away. ... -. p. $780,.
All true knowledge teaches us of God and
of our duty to Him and to our fellow-men.-
We are required to love Him supremely, and
our neighbor as ourself. How can we give to
God that love and alteration He requires, and
which is our bounden duty, unless we learn
His character and study His infinite perfec-