The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-03-28
THE GATE CITY.
LITTLE tarRIs.

LITTLE 6arRLs.
cannot we'll imagine homo more il
complete than that one whore there is, n
little girl to stand II The void Of the ID
nestle circle which little boys can nevs
hll. and TO draw all hearts within th
magic ring BY the nameless charm Of he
presesce. There IL something about Hill.
girls that il especially loveable; eventhei
wiiIfni, naughty ways seem utterly voiG
OF evil when they are soon followed By
the sweet penitence that overAows in such
gracious showers. Your boys are great,
noble fellows; generous, loving, and full
OF impulses; but they are noisy and
demonstrative. and, dearly a. you love
them, you ara glad their place is out OF
doors; but Jennie. with her light step, is
always beside you; she brings the slippers
Tor papa. and With her pretty dimpled
fingers unfolds the paper for him to read;
she puts on thimble no bigger than a
fairy's, and with some very mysterious
combination Of "doll rags" fills mp
small rocker BY mamm~ with wonder
full assumption Of womanly dignity. And
who shall tell how the little thread of
speech, that flows with such sweet, slvery
lightness from those in nocent lipe, twines
itself around the mothers heart, never to
rust; not even when the dear little face is
hid among the daisies, and 30 many moth
ers know.
But Jennie grows to be woman, and
there is long and bright track from the
halflatchsd door of childhood, till the girl
blooms into the mature woman. There |
are the brothers who always lower their
voices when they talk to their sister, and
tell of the sports, in which she takes Is
much interest as they do, while in turn
she iustructs them in all the minor details
of home life, Of which they would grow
up ignorantly if not for her. And what
shield she is upon the dawning man.
hood wherein SO many temptations lie /,
Always her sweet presence to guard aud
inspire them. check upon profanity, :
living sermon on immortality. How fra
grant the cup Of tea she hands them at
the evening meal. how CHEEKY her voice
as she relates the little incidents of the
day. No silly talk of inoipient beaus, or
love of young men met on the promenade.
A girl like that has no empty space 10 her ,
head for such thoughts to run riot in, and 9
you don't find her spending the evening
In the dim parlor with questionable
young man for her company. When her
lover comes, he must say what he has to
say in the family sitting room with father
and mother; or if he il ashamed to-, there
is no room for him there. Jennie's young
heart has not been filed by the pernicious
nonsense which results in 90 many un.
happy marriages or hasty divorces
Dear girl, she thinks all the time of what
. good home she has, what dear brothers,
and on Bonded knees Graves the blessing
Of Heaven to rest upon them, but she
does know how far, very far, for time and t
eternity, her own pure example goes. how
it will radiate as a blessing into other :
homes where sisters memory will be
the consecrated ground OF the past.
Cherish, then, the little girls, dimpled
dsrlings who tear their aprons and cut the
tNbeooths, and eat the sugar, and are
themselves the sugar and salt of life i
Let them dress and undress their doll ba- n
bies to their hearts content, and don't y
tell them Tom Thumb and Red Riding
hood are fiction, but leave them alone
until they find it out, which they will all
too soon. Answer all the funny questions
they ask, and don't make fun of their
baby theology, and when you must whip =
them, do it so that you will not remember 8
with tears, for great many little girls p
lose their hold suddenly before the door
from which they have Just escaped is shut. 3
and fud their way back to the angels - q
So be gentle with the darlines, and see IL
what track of sunnhine will follow in the
wake of the little bobbing heads that
daily fnd great many hard problems to
solve.