The mountain Democrat., 1865-12-30
Friends, Faithful and True.

luackcfy once Sdiu tuat uS never saw
boy, without wanting to give him sove
reign. We sympathize with his feeling
Often amid a group Of prattling inno
cents, have we wished for pint of dol
lars, to give each one bit Of transien
happiness. How pure and happy theS'
little beings are! 0ne never tires Of look
ing at them. We know of no recreation
so invigo .ating as to watch the skipping
frisking, merry. making Of children
They are still ignorant Of evil. -. M> ::
think everybody ss p ,tsf4Sg GJ4'st a
themselves Their nl<fus have not beer
poisoned by suspicFon. Alas for thes'
children when they discover the first sin
We all have a vague idea of the first ii
we heard. How H.shOcked oar tende
hearts. After that, the world looked
darker; it was as if a star had talleT
from our heaven; we began to suspec
people of being bad.
Children are faithful friends. ThC
world is false and treacherous. Peopl,
are often friends because they seek ben
eft. Friendship is made tool for gain
The friendship of a child is unsel6sh. -
1t gives to you its heart, its whole littl'
being. 1t will not deceive you. Oldel
hearts may forsakc or forget you; it
heart remains true to you. Trial ha:
taught you the vanity and emptiness oI
all human aims and wishes. In vain yor
seek relief with those once counted friends
Only in the hearts Of children do you
find unalcyeG comfort. Their hearts will
cleave to you though the heavens fall.
Children are good hearers. True
sometimes they 60 20 sleep these August
days during the sermon. But no wonder
We would 60 to sleep 100 if some one
should preach Chinese to US. And the
heavy learning Of many sermons is nc
better suited for children than that. -.
Why do our sermons make no more ac'
count of the children in our congrega'
tions? We sometimes speak few min
utes TO the Children in style suited tc
them. This is by no means out Of place
in sermon. 1t will not hurt the Older
folks. We did so yesterday. Scores oil
little faces frightened up, as If to say
How kind that he says somcthing to us
children, too, when lie breaches to Older
people, Their grateful faces hung over
US in our slumbers last night, and to-day
they follow US like dream.
A mother once told us that her little
daughter. without being told to do it,
would every evening, after she had prayed
for her parents, pray God to bless US,
mentioning our name in every prayer
We have lost more than ono hour in
catching, sometimes by stealth, those de
vout lispings of childhood at nightfall,
and our faith was always stronger after
wards. Children are our best teachers.
The best way for pastors to get the
hearts of the parents, is to gain the.heaT
of their children Charles Dickens and
his boy standing at the grave Of Thacke
raw, wept tears such as have rarely fallen
from his eyes. Speaking of this. after
wards, he said There was charm in
Thackeray most genuine and unaffected
love for little children. He loved to hold
them bv his knee, and rest his hand on
their dark or golden hair. He had a par
ticular delight in boys, and an excellent
way with them. So | thought, as look
ed down into his grave, for | looked down
into it over the shoulder of boy to
whom he he'd been kind ...
1t costs hut very little to give happi-
ness to children. A toy, little book, a
smile, kind word or gentle hand on
the head, will give them joy. They are
the purest and happiest beings on the
earth. They are the nearest to God and
nearest to heaven. as the smallest stars
are always nearest the sun. Our Savior
saws. In heaven, the angels do always
behold the face of my father which is in
heaven