Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-08-21

was uellghted ana surprised by the pastor
asking him to 60 the next day TO show hin
where the woods were, for he loved forest
rambles. Fred could hardly sleep that night
for anticipation, and was up at the dawn Of
day. As he passed the door Of the minister's
room, he heard him praying, and softening
his steps and hushing his whistling, he
Rlided down stairs more quietly than he
was ever known to do before. They were
of as soon rs breakfast was over, two or
three miles into the thick woods, and Fred
leaped over the rocks and turned aside re-
fractory bushes, and moved intruding branches
and stones from the minister's way he show
ed him where the partridges had their haunts,
and the wild rabbits were TO be entrapped,
and gathered the choicest berries on cool
green leaves for his neW-found friend.
"Do you love the woods and all the wild
things and curious places" he ventured to
ask at length, as the minister mounted
high rock which overlooked a secluded little
pond.
The minister replied, ''Cartainly, do; and
| love a good boys company too, he added,
with a smile.
"Well, don't think you are much like old
Mr., Cranston. I thought it was wicked to
love such things" he added, with bOyish
bluntness.
"Come here, and sit down on this messy
place, and let's us talk about it little,
said the minister. "What made you think
it was wicked2"
"Why, l supposed it wasn't serving God,
and it isn't work, like making hay or any
thing of that sort and so, thought it might
be wicked or at least didn't know that
pious people and ministers ever cared about
such things" Fred replied with a little hesi-
tation
"Did not Jesus go out into the fields, and
alone upon the mountains, and often cross
the lake with his disciples in their fishing
boats?' said Mr.. Barry did he not speak
Of the birds and fowers2 God made them
all; don't you think he meant we should
love them? 1t says in the Bible, He hath
made everything beautiful in his time, and
and as God has given us all things richly to
enjoy think we should be very migrate
tul not to enjoy them.p
"Well, then, you don't think play is wick
ed, do your asked Fred in earnestness.
"There may be wicked plays" replied the
minister, "but play in itself is not wicked,
any more than eating and drinking, and run
ming, and Fifty other things. If we have bad
thoughts in our hearts, and act and talk bad
ly, then our play is wicked; but if we have
innocent feelings, and play so as to do no
harm to Others, play is not only right but
necessary"
''But l have heard people say, Don't
waste your precious time in play" said Fred
''If boy neglects his lessons or duties to
play it would be wasting his time" said Mr.
l,r,f vr-ba n cIfIIi1
he ought to play-God has made it neces-
sity for children to play; the kitten plays,
the young of all creatures play; tits natures
way of developing the muscles and bones,
and making them strong, and it is good for
the mind, for it teaches thought You have
mistaken some well-meant teaching, my
boy" he continued; "but do your work we'll,
and then play in good earnest; only avoid
sin, and play will do you good, not harm"
81 do play" said Fred, as he leaped off the
rock, for he never sat still more than five
minutes; "but m glad you have told me
this, for now shall not feel as if was doing
wrong so much as l did befOre''-and he be-
gan to toss pebbles far out on the sparkling
water.
The minister sat still thinking a while
longer, and then they turned their steps home
wards.
81 hope Fred did not quite wear your pa
tience out sir, said Mrs. Chase that evening
to the minister "for he is troublesome gen
orally"
'Not at all, not at all, ," replied Mr. Barry;
son the other hand, found him very inter
esting andagreeable company. think he is
Lad of great promise"
"Indeed, sir" replied the mother, IL am
glad if you have discovered good in him, or
promise of good, for have been greatly ex-
ercised on his account, and so has his father.
We have found him hard to manage, and he !
does not love religious things at all, and we
have feared that he was firmly set in the way
to destruction. He is entirely unlike his |
sisters; but yet know Gods grace is able |
to change him, and hope it may"
'But his nature is entirely unlike theirs" |
said Mr. Barry, "and will continue so, even /
after conversion, that is, his natural charac- |
teristics will remain the same. Your two |
daughters have protessed religion, yet before |
their change of heart Iventure to say, they |
we're quiet gentle, reverent children. Now |
Fred is ardent energetic, impulsive and so |
he always will be- unless disease breaks him |
down but Christian grace may modify that
nature, and engraft on it virtues which will |
make him one of the brightest ornaments of |
the church. Just now the animal nature /
predominates, and so it will, probably, for |
some years to come. Buthe is not irrevsrent |
and he has his moments Of serious thought / |
doubt not, only it will be necessary to guard |
against one or two serious dangers in dealing !
with such a nature as his
''To what dangers in particular do you re-
fer2" asked Mrs. Chase.
" l think there is great danger of so fore |
ing religious instruction upon his mind as to !
disgust him with it, and produce aversion to |
what he should love-" said the minister
More can be done for him by acting always
with cheerful, faithful piety before him, by
loving him warmly and bearing with his
faults patiently, than by direct reproof ana
eXhortation. He knows what is right and
wrong as well as any one, and has an active
conscience, and he will cure his own faults of
outward conduct by and by, and the labor of
love will not be lost on him unless his disgust
is excited towards serious things by a reitera-
ted enforcement of them upon him. then,
too, l should wish to discriminate between
boyish caprice and mirthfulness, and delibe-
rate sins. By treating the former as serious
ly as you would the latter, you will outrage
his sense of Justice"
Deacon Chase had come in while the min
lister was speaking, and finding that they
we're talking of Fred, he said: 'I tell my
wife sometimes I'm afraid she governs him
too much"
"Do you think that is possible2" said Mrs
Chase,
aldo, certainly" said the minister. "That
is, the same amount of coercion and strict
ness of dealing necessary for one child may
be ruinous to another, because he is mentally
constituted differently. Love and patience
and sympathy may work wonders for boy
of Fred's temperament, when they would be
thrown away or comparatively powerless on
an opposite nature"
"Well, I have been afraid of sparing the
rod, Of leaving any duty undone towards
him" said the mother; but perhaps have
overdone the thing;" and so the conversa-
ton ended, but not without Mrs. Chase's re-
sOlviuU IN fry diffarent tactipq