Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1868-05-29
Cheerful Sundays.

lectlng some lovely grove, there tGlh, not
preach" to their people Where could be
the harm of letting the Jews" and the
doctrines" alone till cold ,.lor? and
giving now and then natural burst" born
OF the woods, and hills, and streams? Every
summer how | long, as 1 travel about, and
these lovely calm sweet Sabbaths dawn upon
US, to have an out,cf:eloor church Nor
would it distress my sanctity to sec tho little
children rambling round us-now listening
to catch a word, now straying off to pluck
flower, now spoil llbound by the sweet hymn, as
tho loayes whisper to eaoh other, "Glory to
God in tho highest; peace on earth and good
will to men" No admonishing hand should
be laid by mo on their little shoulders with
the petrfying announcement, so impossible
for young childhood to understand, "You
must not play-it is Sunday" You must
not tangh-it is Sunday,
How can littlo child, of four or five years,
keep from laughing" because it is Sunday
How can he keep his little busy, restless
hands folded while birds are singing. and leaves
arc dancing, and the brooks arc sparkling in
tho sunlight, and earth is as fair as his own
sweet, happy face.
Oh, don't make him hato Sunday by this
mistaken method Of teaching him to keep it
holy. Don't begin SO early to make him
littio hypocrto. You will soon fnd in his
pocket strings and balls, aud pins, and dead
bugs, and every other surreptitious contri.
vance to relieve tho horrid todum of such a
" Sunday" Do yow never, my good sir or
madam, get up lator and go to bed sooner on
th't day than any other Do you never sleep
away its monday hours because your mind
gets weary with prolonged reading7 Do you
mover, under the disguise of ride, or beau
tiful Sunday, think it best to go to moro
distant church than your own chosen one to
hear preaching? DO you, who exact of your
restless child snoh motionless propricty in
these hours, never stray off youysclfto dis
cuss warm political questions, or vexcd bust.
ness matters, with your next ncigkbor p
Look closely into these points before setting
your childvon's programme for the Sabbath
hours.
Should not the Sabbath be ga delight 7'
and Is this the way to make it so7 Will
thorc not como TO children so managed tor
riblc rebound Of liconsc and lawlessness when
they arc out Of leading strings? think so:
and it is because think so, because I have
SO often seenit, that beg these wcll-meaning
but mistaken parents to consider little if
what say may not be truo Any thing
better than hearing little child SO brought
up say sorrowfully, "oh, dear it is Sunday
again" Oh, put down that SCOTS Com
mcntary you arc half asleep over, and take
that disgusted, weary Iittlo child by the hand,
and walk out into the fields with it, and show
it Gods wonderful workmanship in tho yari-
cites of trees, leaves and flowers. Do YOU
call that wicScd?" tell you it is much
more wicked to mako sanctimonious hvno.
critic of little creature, whose heart is so
bursting with love and CLEO that you might
as well try to stop the birds flom singing till
Monday as to reprcss its uttcrancc because
{" it is Sunday"
Sunday? why on Sunday throw open all
the blinds instead of closing them, as if JOY
lay confined and shroudod within, as truly it
often does with these mistaken people Sun.
day always have something very nice for
tho little palate to mark the day; prepared
on Saturday if you choose, but hare a1.-
Sunday? Why give your children twenty
kisses on that day ovor and above every other
day in the week. Look moro smiling on that
day. Speak moro choerfully. Devote your.
self to happVytng your house and your chill
dren instead Of grooming over " Doddridgo's
Rise and Progress," and calling yourself +"
miserable sinner" as indeed you are Try
to memo matters, if you arc sincere, by acttvc
"picty" such as this. Let your children
look back from screno old ago upon happy
Happy Sundays; instead OF feeling even at
that late day. when its light dawns upon
thonl, an impulse to escape its rigidty and
tcdium. 1t is because love tho day and |
its Sweet calm hours that 1 ask this. It is
because want those children to have this
home anchor to keep them from straying into
the paths of lawessnGss and license in after
years. 1t is because God ;;s love that dread !
your teaohing your children to run away from
him instead of Into his spen ar,ns.
All, John, snoo you have boen to town,
tho donkey dcd without any notice what
over" Gracious, mercy" exclaimed John,