Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1867-11-16

cIence. that it could not at all confne it
self to the streets of Boston, the circle of
his relatives, or even the United States of
America. John was fully posted up in
the affairs of India, Burmah, China, and
all those odd out-of-the way places which
no sensible man ever thinks of with any
interest unless he can make some money
there: and money, it must be confessed,
John didn't make there, though he spent
in abundance For getting up printing
pl etses in Ceylon, for Chinese type, for
boxes of clothing and what-not to be sent
to the Sandwich Islands, for school books
for the Greeks, and all other nonsense of
that sort, John was without parallel
No wonder his rich brother merchants
sometimes thought him something of
bore, since his heart being full of all these
matters, he was rather apt to talk about
them, and sometimes to cndeavor to draw
them into fellowship, to iii extent that
was not to be thought of.
So it came to pass often, that though
John was Il thriving business man, with
some ten thousand year, he often wore
pretty threadbare coat, the seams
whereof would be trimmed with lines Ci
white, and he would sometimes need
several plain hints on the subject of a
new hat, before he would think he could
afford one. Now it is to be confessed the
world is no: always grateful to those
who thus devote themselves to its inter
ests, and John had as much occasion to
know this us many another man. People
got so used to Johns giving, that his
bounty became as coIlnSn alIa as neccS-
sary as that of a higher Bencfactor, ''who
mlkcth his sun to rise upon the evil and
the good. and sendeth rain upon the Just
and the unjusts'' AMI SO it came to pass
that people took them as they do the
sunshine and the rain, quite as matters of
coursc--not thinking much about them
wi en- they came, but particularly apt to
scold when they did nots
! But John never cared for that. He
didn't give for gratitude; he did not give
for thanks, nor tc have his name publish
cd i'll the papers as one of six who had
given fifty thousand to do SO and so; but
he gave because it was i'll him to give,
and we all know that it is an old rule iii
medicine as we'll as morals, that what is
in a man must be brought out. Then
again, John had heard it reported, that
there had been One of distinguished au-
thority who had expressed the opinion
that it was ''na0re Wessed 70 gice NdR t0
reccire," and he very much believed it
bclicl ed it because the One who said it
must have kl own, since for mans sake
lie once gave away ALL.
And so when some thriftless, distant
relation, whose debts John had paid a
dozen times over, give him all overhaul
ing OH the subject OF libcrality, and seem
cd inclined to take him by the th.oTt for
farther charity, John calmed himself
down by chapter or two from the New
Testament, and half dozen hymns, and
then sent h.m good brothcrly letter of
admonition and counsel, with a bank
note to enforce it; and when some qucru-
lous old woman who had had a tenement
of him rent free for three or four years,
sent him word that if he didn't send and
mend the water-pipes she would move
right out, John sent and mendcd them.
People said that he was foolish, and that
it didn't do any good to do for migrate
ful people; but John knew that it did
him good; lie loved to do it, and he
thought also un some words that ran 10
this effect: e'Do good and lend, hoping
for n0thiag aguin." John literally hoped
for nothing again i'll the way of reward,
either in this world or i'll heaven, beyond
the pleasure of the deed; for he had
abundant occasion to see how f;ivors are
forgotten in this world; and us for an
other, he had in his own soul a standard
of benev olcnce so high, so pure, so ether
al, that but one OF nrsrtal birth ever
reached it. John felt that do what he
might, he fell ever SO far below the life
of that spotlcss One, that his crown i'll
heaven must come to him at last, not as
Il reward bat AS a free eternal gift.
But all tLis while our friend and his
little companion have been pattering
along the wet streets, il, the rain and
slcet of Il bitter cold evening, till they
stopped before grocery. Here a large
eros s-handled basket was first bought,
ard then filled with sundry packages of
tea, sugar candles, soap, starch, and varl-
ous other matters; barrel OF flour was
ordered to be sent after him on dray.-
John next stopped at a dry goods store
ard bought pair Of blankets, with which
he loaded down the boy, who was happy
enough to lie so loaded; and then, turn
ing gradually from the more trcequcntcd
streets, the two were soon lost to view
in one OF the distant alleys in the city.
The cheerful fire was blazing in Johns
rarlor, as, returning ffom his long, wet
walk, he was sitting by it with his feet
comfortably incascd in slippers. The
astral was burning brightly on the center
table, and group Ct children were
around it studying their lessons.
'sPapa," said a little boy, "what docs
this verse mean?-it's in my Sunday
school lesson. Make TO yourselves. friends
eftAe manmon of e0'righteCuSnesS, that
qchen ye fail they moy receire go" INTO
eeerltsting habHatioas.
"You ought to have asked your teach
er, Ray SON"
But he said he didn't Know exactly
what it meant. lie wanted me to look
this week and see if could find out"
Johns standing resource III all exeget-
ical difficulties was Dr. Scott's family
Bible. Therefore he now got up, and
putting ON his spectacles walked to the
glass bookcase, and took down volume