The Portland daily press., 1864-10-27
The Little Girl and her Copy.


A little girl went to writing school. When
she saw her copy, with every line so perfect,
II can never, never write like that" she said.
She looked steadiastly at its straight lines,
which were so very. straight, and the round
lines SO slim and graceful. Then she took up
her pen and timidly put it on the paper. Her
hand trembled she drew it back; she stopped,
studied the copy, and began again.
Il can but try," said the little girl ~ will do
as well as can"
She wrote half a page. The letters were
crooked. What more could we expect from
first effort The next scholar stretched across
her desk, and said,-
"What scraggly things you make"
Tears filed the little girls eyes. She dread
ed to have the teacher see her book. "He will
be angry with me, and scold," she said to her
SELF, frs .4r .ss asy..s es4a
But when the teacher came and looked, he
smiled. s-7 80 900
Il see you are trying, my little girl" he said
kindly, sand that is enough for me-"
She took courage. Again and again she
studied the beautiful copy. She wanted to
know how every line went, how every letter
was rounded and made. Then she took up
her pen and began again to write. She wrote
carefully, with the copy always before her.
But oh, what slow work it was. Her letters
straddled here, they crowded there. and some
5 OF them looked "WHlCn-Wdys
The little girl trembled at the step of the
teacher.
"rn afraid you will find fault with me-" she
said, "my letters are not fit to be on the same
page with the copy" ~
II do not find fault with you" said the teach
er, "because do not look SO much at what
you do, as to what you aim and have the heart
to do. By sincerely trying, you will make a
little improvement every day; and little i'm
provement every day will enable you to reach
excellence by and by"
"Thank you, sir, !" said the little girl; and
thus encouraged, she took up her pen with
greater spirit of application than before.
And so ii is with the dear children who are
trying to become like Jesus. God has given
us heavenly copy. He has given us his dear
Son "for an example, that we should follow
his steps," He Ibid no sin, neither was guils
found in his mouth" How he loved people
how he forgave his enemies how kind and ten
der he was; how "meek and lowly in heart, y
how he ''went about doing good r. He is cal
together lovely" and "full ofgrace and truth. I"
And when you study his character, 81 can
never, never reach that" You say. 81 can
never be like Jesus.o teh
God does not expect you to be like his dear
Son 10 a minute, or day, or year but what
pleases him is, that you should love him and
have disposition to try. 1t is that temper
winch n6lpS you grow Gay Dy DAY, uLLle by
little, into his likeness, which God desires 10
see. Your companions may see no signs q
/, improvement in your conduct; they may even
laugh at your efforts: but God, with his all
seeing eye, can discern them. He looks at the
heart. God sees you try. God lopes you for
trying, and he will give his Holy Spirit to help
you.
The younger you try, the easier it becomes
The harder you try, the sweeter you will find
it. And what sight is more lovely to those
who love you, than to mark you growing day
by day.into the temper and spirit of our Lord
Jesus Christ ?-Chitd's Paper. -