The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-02-09
Gbs ghtraster Ga3stte.
little GIRLS.


l cannot we'll imagine a homo more
incomplete than that one where there
isno,liitle girl to stand in the void oI
the domestic circle which boys can
ncver FL, TO draw all hearts within
the magic ring of her presence. There
is something about little girls which il
especially loyeable even their willful
nanshty ways seem utterly void Of
evil when ftrey are soon followed by
the sweet pehiteneeA that overhows in
such gracious showers Your boys
are great noblo fellows, generous, low,
ing and full Of good impulses, but they
are noisy and deInonstrative, and dear.
ly as you love them, You are glad their
place is out of doors; but Jennie, with
her light step, is Always beside you
sbo,b brings the slippers for papa, and,
with .hec pretty, dimplel fingers, un-
folds the paper for him to read she
Pats on a-.thimble no bigger than a
fairy's, md. with some ~1rious mystic
riors combination of doll rags" fills
up small rocker by mamma with a
wonderful assumption of womanly dig.
nifty. And who Shall tell how the Ill.
tlo thread of speech, that flows with
such. sweet silvery lightness from
those innocent lips, twincs itself
around the mothers heart never to
rust, not even when the dear little face
is bid among tho daisies. as so many
mothers know.
But Jennie grows to be woman
md there is long and shining track
from the halflatched door OF child
hood till the girl blooms into tho ma.
ture woman. There are the brothers
who always lower their voices when
they talk 10 their sister, and tell Of the
sports, in which she takes almost as
much interest as they do, while in turn
she instructs them in all the little mi.
nor details Of homo life, of which they
would grow up ignorant if not for her
And what q shield she il upon the
dawning manhood wherein so many
temptations lie Always her sweet
presence to gnard and inspire them, II
check upon profanity, n living sermon
on immortality. How fragrant the
cup ottca sho hands them at the eve.
ming meal how chcery her voice MS
she relates the little incidents of the
day. No silly talk Of incipicnt-boaux
or loves of younF men met on the
promenade. A girl like that has no
empty space in her head for such
thoughts to run riot in, and 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 sit.
ting room with father and mother
or, if ashamed to, thcrc is 40 room tor
him there. Jcnnie's young cart las
not been filed by the pcrnicious non.
sense which results in 50 many un.
happy marriages, or hasty divorces, -
Dear girl, she thinks all tho time ol
what good home she has what dean
brothers, and on bended knees, Graves
the blessings Of Heaven to rest upon
them, but she does not know how far
very far, for timo and eternity, he.
own pnro example goes. how il
will radiate as n blessing into Other
homes, where sisters memory will be
the consecrated ground Of tho past.
Cherish, then, tho little girls, dim
Piled darlings, who tear their aprons
and cut tho table cloths, and eat the
sugar, and are themselves the very all
gar and salt of life Let them dross
and undrcss their doll babies to their
hearts content, and don't tell them
Tom Thumb and Red Riding Hood
are fiction, but leave them alone till
they find it out, which they will all
too soon, Answer all the funny ques
tions they ask, and don't mako fun o
their baby theology, and when yoo
must whip them, do it so that, if yor
should rcmomber it, it would not be
with tcars, for n great many little girlI
lose their hold suddenly before The
door from which they huvo just csca
ped is shut, and find their way back tC
the angels. So be gentle with til,
darlings and see what Il track of sun
shino will follow in tho wako of the
little bobbing heads that daily find Z
great many hard problems to solve.