Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1867-07-10
Ghildren's Column.
Letters 10 Boys and Girls,


My DEAR YOU'VE FRIENDS:
In my last letter | said | did not
want you to be -nothings There
is something else do not wish YOU to
be, and that is do-nothimgs. By a do
nothing | mean an idle, lazy sort of a
boy or girl. There are many children
who seem to think they were made
for nothing else than to eat and sleep.
It's hard work for them even to play.
They are always the last up in the
morning, the last at the breakfast Ia
bic, the last at school, the last in their
classes, and the last in everything
They are always behindhand. and
they will be behindhand as long as
they live. When they grow ND thew
will be as good d-for-nothing as the feI.
low once read about in newspaper,
who was so worthless that some of his
neighbors procured coffin, and put.
ting him in, carried him off, pretend
ing they were going to bury him alive.
AS they passed along, another neigh-
Dor called out, Who have you there p
Old Joe,' said one of them. sWhv ia
he dead? ooh, no; but he has moth
ing to live on, and won't work to get
anything, and so we thought we would
bury him to get rid of him TOb.' said
the man, don't do that; carry him
back, and I'll send him a bag of corn
At this Old Joe slowly raised himself
up in the coffin, and drawled out, sIs
1T s-h e-l,Ee-d 2 NO. was the answer.
Then drive on, boysT said he. Now,
OF course, This story, like nearly ali
newspaper stories, is not true; but it
is true that lazy boys and girls ,oiW make
[dzy men and aOonaen. Then learn to
work now. Make yourselves useful
DO 1t tor your own sake and for the
sake of others. Going from market
one day gentleman overlook small
boy carrying a basket that was SO
heavy as nearl y to bear him down be.
meath 1T. Heremarked, NV bov, you
have heavy load.' Yes answered
the little fellow, Fbut I'd rather carry
1t than that my mother should Right
across the street highly accomplish
ed young lady was playing the piano,
while her mother was washing the
windows. Shame on the BOYS or girls
who would suffer mother to do what
they might do for her.
If you do not want to bo miserable
useless do-nothings all your lives, 90
to work at once-begin to act now
Whatsoever thy hand fndeth to do.
do it with thy might When Won
work, work; when you study, study;
when you play, play. Never say II
can't A schoolmaster told one of his
smaller boys that he wanted him TO
write a composition 20, can't SIR.
don't know how,' said the boy, in the
greatest trouble. but you can think,
can't your said the master. 90 YES
sir Well, just think about some,
thing, and write down what you think,
ana that will be a composition is
That all T Yes; and now | will ex-
cuse you Tor little while, and YOU
may take your slate and go out, and
the first thing you find that interests
: goo' thlhk about it-what it is there
for, what it is good for, and what viii
become OF lt-and write it down, and
bring it to me- The little boy went
out, and after looking about some time,
he at last came across a large turnip,
growing behind barn. He stood and
looked at it few moments, when his
thoughts began to come to him in SIM
pie rhyme, and he wrote them down
thus:
Mr. Fnney had turuip,
And it grew behind the barn
And it grew, and it grew,
But 1t never did any harm.
And it grew and it grew
Till il could grow no taller;
Then Mr.. Finney pulled it up,
And put 1t IN the cellar.
And it lay, and it lay,
Till it there began to rot,
And his daughter Susy washed it,
And she put 1t in the pot
And it boiled, and ii boiled,
As long as long it was able;
Then his daughter Lizzie took it up,
And put it on the table.
Mr.. Finney and his wife,
They both sat down to sup;
And they eat, and they eat,
Till they eat the turnp up,
Thus, by trying, this boy succeeded
in writing a very good composition
and by trying again and again, as be
grew up, he at last became one of the
greatest poets of his day Now, boys
and girls, while trying to do something
it may not make you all great poets,
but will make you good and useful men
and women. So mote it be- is the
wish of Your Friend,
MAJ LYNNE.
aea- A friend of ours lives next door
to not over-thriving undertaken. One