Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-11-01
fiji Miscellaneous.
Prom Mrs. Kirtisud's Union Magazine for Oct. ls47.
BROTHER AND SISTER.
by L. MARIA CHILD.

by L. MARIA CHILD.
"But show me, on thy Howery breast,
Earth, where thy n~dneless martyrs rest!
The thousand, who, uncheered by praise,
Have MADE one offering of their days"
Mrs. Hemdns.
"Hurra I" exclaimed John Golding to his sister
Esther. "See what Mr.. Brown has bought with
Biddy's eggsw
The boys eyes sparkle, and bis hands trembled
with delight, while Esther's more serious counie-
nance lighted up with a quick smile;
The treasure John exhibited with such exulta-
ton was q worn copy of Goldsmiths Manners and
Customs. The title.page declared that it was
adorned with plates; but readers accustomed to the
present more beautiful style of publishing would
have been slow to admit that the straight, lank fig
ures, daubed with engravers ink, were any orna-
ment to the volumes. To the Impractical eyes OF
John and his sister, they were, however gems OF
Art; and the manner in which they were obtained
greatly increased their value. The children had
received a cake and two little chickens from n
n~eighbor, in payment for picking cranberries.-
Never did chickens give rise to such extensive
speculations; not even the imaginary brood of a
famous milk.maid. The chickens would become
hons. and the hens would lay eggs, and Mr.. Brown
who drove tho market wagon would sell the eggs,
and there we're ever so many books in Boston, and
Who could guess what wonderful stories they could
buy with their eggsP The vision was realized in
due time. The chickens did become hens, and
laid eggs; and Mr.. Brown listened good naturally
to Johns request to sell them and buy "a book,
that had pictures in it and told about countries
away OFF, Goldsmith Manners and Customs
came as the fruit of these Instructions, and was
hailed with an outburst of joy.
Most boys would have chosen to buy marbles or
a drum; but Johns earliest passion had been for a
book. The subtle influences which organise tenn
peramenls and produce character, are not easily
traced. This intellectual acti sity certainly was
not derived from either of his parents; for they
were mere healthy, sluggish animals. But there
was a tradition in the neighborhood, that his ma
ternal grand was IAN extraordinary woman
in her day; that few folks knew SO much as she did;
and if her husband had been half as smart and
calculating they would have been very fcre-handed
peopleW
The children Of the extraordinary woman" in
herited her husbands inert temperament, but her
own energetic character reappeared in her grand
children; and they had the good fortune to be born
in New England, where the moral atmosphere
stimulates intellect, and the stream of knowledge
flows free and full to all the people. Esther was
as eager for information as her more vivacious
brother; ard though as a woman her pathway oil
life was more obstructed, and all its growth more
stinte6. she helped to lead him into broader ave.
nues than she herself was allowed to enter. Be-
ing two years older than he, it was her delight to
teach him the alphabet, as soon as he could speak.
and great was her delight when he knew all the
letters in her little old primer, and could recite the
couplet that belonged to each. They conveyed no
very distinct idea to his mind, but Esther's praise
made him very vain of his accomplishment A
dozen times a day he shouted the whole twenty-four,
all in a row, and was quite out of breath when he
arrived at:
Zaccheus he
Did climb the tree,
His Lord to see %
The mother, who was n kindly, but dull woman
took little INTEREST," in their childish scrambling aftel
literature; but she sent them to the town-school fol
the sake of having them out of the way, and she
was somewhat proud that her children could 'read
joining-hand," as she called it, earlier than neigh
bors Of the same age. One day, when the Minis
ter Of the village called, she told John to bring his
book about Manners and Customs, and let thu
Minister hear how well they could read. The good
old man was much pleased with her bright boy
and his intelligent, motherly sister. When theil
mother told him the story of the eggs, he pattet
them on the head and said: "Thats right, my chill
dren. You can't be too fond Of your books. They ART
the best friends in the world. If you ask them
they will tell you about everythingl" This remarl
uttered in a very serious tone, made a deep impress
sion. That evening, as brother and sister sat o
the doorstep, eating their supper of bread an
milk, the sun set bright and clear after a transien
shower, and a beautiful rainbow arched the entir
heavens. "Oh, Esther, look at that pretty rair
bowl" exclaimed John. "Ah, see! see! now ther
are two Of 'em!" He gazed at the beautiful PHI,
nomcnon with all his soul in his eyes. and adde'
"As soon as we have eggs enough, we will get NJ
brOWn 10 Duy u DOOk u Iell uUW rdiuDOWc d
made, and where they come from" Esther r
piled that she did wish the hens would lay thrt
egg Co., DAY. ~. m,r.st.m.r wa. commissioned 10 M
chase another volume; he declared himself unab
to find one that told where rainbows came FROM
In lieu thereof, he brought Bruce's Travels; or
an unfailing source of entertainment it proved
Thus month by month their little library increa
ed, and their intellectual craving grew fast by tt
food it fed on. They gathered berries, picked chip
ran on errands, rose early and worked late, to a
cumulate sixpences.
When this is done merely to obtain animal i
dulgences. or for the sake of possessing more tina
others, there is something degrading in the servi
process; but when the object is pursuit of know
edge for its own sake, all creeping things becou
winged. Beautiful it is to see human souls thu
struggling with poverty and toll, sustained on
by those ministering angels, Hope and mutu
Faith! Those who have life enough to strugg
thus, are all the stronger for the contest. For d
vigorous intellect it is better to be SO placed thu
to be born in palaces. Jean Paul gays truly ::
wealth bears far heavier on Talent than 2overt
Under gold mountains and thrones, who know
how many a spiritual giant may lie crushed dow
and buried 7"
Esther and her brother were troubled with I
ambitious conjecture whether or not they coul
ever become spiritual giants; they simply felt tn
the acquisition of knowledge was present deligh
They thought little of hats and shoes, till faith,
and mother said these must be bought with a pc
ton of their wages; but after that, they we
doubly careful of their hats, and often CARR,
their shoes in their hands. Thus were they,
their unconscious earnestness, living according
laws which highes reason would prescribe for t
whole social fabric. They worked industrious
at manual labor, but always with a spiritual Ell
in view; and that spiritual end was their own Oh
sen recreation. They praciiced the most caref
economy, but it was neither mean nor painful, /
cause it was for a noble use, not for the mere sal
of accumulation.
Though the poor parents were obliged to Apr
PIRATE a portion of the ehildren's juvenile ca
nings, there was one little fund that was sacred
their own. The two chickens had a progeny
chickens, and these, in process of time, likewis
laid eggs. John picked up every stray grain
oats he could find, because he had heard it was
good kind of food to increase eggs; and busy lit