The Portland daily press., 1865-03-15
Wednesday Morning, March is, 1865.
Notice your Scholars.

One Sabbath evening Helen Jones sat alone
IN her chamber, sadly reviewing the events O
the day. A careless booker on would have
pronounced her "blue !" a asympathizing friend
would have called her "ioW spirited p while
she herself felt s'wholly discouraged Ii her
thoughts had been spoken aloud, they would
have been something like these:
Il don't believe am fitted to be a Sabbath
school teacher; l cannot interest the children
at all; feel almost sure that net one OF my
> class likes to come to the school, but comes
because she is made to. have a great mind
to give ii up" G ~ aoA
A knock at the door interrupted her refiec-
tions; aud she opened it to admit her intimate
friend Lucy, who had come to accompany
her to an evening meeting. A very few words
gave Lucy an idea of the state of Helen's
mind, aud during their walk to the chapel she
endeayored to dispel some of the gloomy feel
ings.
1t has been truly said that our best friends
are those ho tell US our faults, and in this
case Lucy proved herself TO be such an one.
She was several years older than Helen, had
had more experience as a teacher, and, more
over was not one of The easily discouraged
kind; and as they walked along she gave Hell
en- some very good advice. ine
u think the great trouble with you,a she
said, lis that you don't take enough interest in
yNUf oSuSt0io VI IL yOu W. YOU QDH SHOW III,
For Instance when we were walking together
the other afternoon, we met one of your little
girls, end you only bowed and passed on.-
Now think it would have been much better
II you had stopped q moment, and asked her
how aLer mother was, or something OF that
sort. Children always like to be noticed"
great deal more was said, and Helen final
ly made promise to try her friends plan, but
it must be confessed, she had not much, faith
IN Its success. The very next day, however,
as she was going home to tea she saw before
her straw hat and plaid shawl which she
recognized as belonging to Sarah Smith, the
youngest OF her class. Now, Sarah had al
ways been more shy and timid than any of the
Others, and Helen telt sure that all her ad-
vances would be met in silence, but true to
her promise, she overlook the child. and com
menced conversation. fe.
But Tor two or three squares, her progress
was discouraging, Sarah would only answer
yes and no to her inquiries, and Helen was
about glviug up in despair, when she noticed
that Sarah had O. handkerchief bound around
her lett hand, and asked the cause. Sarah ex-
planned that she had cut her finger quite bad
ly, and her mother had wrapped it up that's she
might net take cold in it. This led to Helen's
describing an incident of her own childhood.
in which she had been troubled for several
weeks with cut thumb. aud Sarah replied by
uescIIpA1g now ner DFOJher mad hilFt his foot
with a hatchet few weeks before. From
that they proceeded to other topics, and when
they parted at Heler's door, Sarah wound up
with the remarks "Prn going down to my
aunt's to try on my new sack me and my sis
ter take tnrns in having new cloaks, aud it's
my turn this fall" Helen could not remem-
ber ever hearing so long sentence from the
child before, and she entered the house with
quite different feelings towards her class.
The next Sabbath she realized more fully
the truth of her friend Lucy Is remarks. Dur
ing the progress of the lesson, as she put a
question TO Sarah, she was much amused to
have the answer followed with my finger is
we'll now" And as one of the other scholars
inquired what she meant, she heard the whis-
pered reply; "Oh, saw her in the street the
other day, and she spoke to me, SO told her
i had cutmy finger"
1t was childish remark, irnocently made,
bnt Heens heart and conscience smote her
as she listened, and she ferveptly resolved to
notice her scholars more whenever she might
chance to meet them on week days.
Fellow teachers, how is it with us? Do We
pass our scholars in the street with simple
nod of recognition, or do we give them a
chance to say, "she spoke to me?2--S. School
Times. N g ~ e A 2 =