American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1867-07-06

y
are blessed! Have you ever thought
that while you are blessed with kind
parents and teachers, who are taking
pains to instruct you, to train your
minds, and store them with useful
knowledge, andpoint you out the road
that leads from earth to Heaven,
there are millions of children in the
world, who enjoy none of these bies-
sings; who are in total ignorance OF
their relations to God; who have
never heard of Savior; who have
never seen a Bible; who know no Sab
bath day. We seldom appreciate
blessings, except by contrast. I'm
agine how these unfortunate children
would be transported with delight,
were the great blessings you enjoy
transferred to them, and what I'M
provement would they make of them.
The Sunday school is the great
nursery of mind and morals. do
you know that some of the greatest
men and women of the age were
trained in the Sunday schools? l
know that one may be great without
going to Sunday school, Lessons OF
virtue and religion may be learned
at home, around the fireSide, but this
is no argument against Sunday
schools, and the maxim, "To be great
is to be good" remains true. Virtue
is an essential element of true great
ness.
Do you remember the anecdOte
related of the mother of Washing
ton! When the news was flashed
to her that her son was chosen Chief
Magistrate of this, then, great nation,
and showing no particular emotion,
her friends asked her why she didn't
rejoice. She quietly answered !:
"Gcorge was always o good boy"
Mrs. Washington understood the phi
losophy OF education.
1t may be that address some boys,
who are destined to hold places OF
eminence in the government of this
county. 1t may be, that they shall
be chosen, by their fellows, to repre-
sent them in the halls of legislation,
state or national; or take some high
position in the judiciary of the coun.
Try; or, that, they shall be called of
God, to the yet higher office of the
sacred ministry.
1t may be, that l address some
gi,ls, whose moral and intellectual
qualifications will entitle them to
take rank with Hannah Moore.
In either case, the distinction will
be traceable to your Sunday school.
But apart from any consideration OF
distinction, let me entreat you, as
you value happiness, to cherish your
love Of the Sunday school. Here
YOU will imbibe lessons of virtue and
religion necessary to equip you for
the battle Of life.
Many of you have seen little else
than sun shine and flowers, and when
l talk of the battle of life, you hardly
know what l mean; you think, per-
haps, am using figure of speech.
Far be it from me, my young friends,
to throw a shadow upon your path.
No. My business is to encourage you;
not, however, by telling you that you
will find the path Of life strewed all
along with flowers, as most of you
have found, thus far. Friendship
and candor, alike, oblige me to adj
monish you that life is a scene of
,rarJdre; and | should be untaithful
to my trust, were to be silent. While
l thus admonish you, l would, at the
same time, encourage you, by telling
you how to cOnque, in the battle oflife.
Some of you have lived long enough
to see that insecurity and instability
are written upon everything earthly.
You have seen that Change, Change,
is the order of Providence. To-day,
your young hearts are filled with de-
light and ecstacy-to-morrow, you
follow your friend to the grave, and
sadness shades your brow. To-day,
life, health and happiness find ex-
preston in your active limbs and
gleeful countenance; tomorrow, sick
ness lays its palsying hand upon your
limbs, and fOrbids you to smile and
thus are you taught that you hold all
earthly pleasures by frail tenure;
and thus should you be reminded Of
the vast Importance of securing a
treasure, of which neither time nor
chance can dispOssess you. You will
find that life is a great battlefield,
instead of a triumphal march that
triumphs are the rewards of hard
fought battles, and let me tell you
that now is the time to grid on yOur
armor. Or, to change the figure, let
me remind you that it is Soaoing sea-
son. You will reap the harvest here
after and, as is the seed, so will the
harvest be. 1t must be so; it ever
has been so; it ever aoiU be so; I'M
changing law, the law of cause and
effect, makes it so.
Have MT you often heard the say
ing, Gas the twig is bent, the tree is
inclined p This is a trite saying,
and not more trite than true. 1t is
tNU of meaning. As is the boy, so
will the man be; as is the girl, so
will the woman be. The boy who
strives to make himself virtuous and
wise may hope to be a distinguished
man, and so, likewise, of the girl.
But let us come back to the Sunday