Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1868-10-31
.L.toYAN ,. NOVNNW
Independent in all things.
the celestial peace was broken 'Fbe do

mestic trouble was after awhile smooth
ed over and arranged but she was vex
ed with herself, and somewhat yexee
that she should be met in the very out
set of the week by such a modification
In the course of the forenoon came il
Miss NJ. B, the general factotum o
all the benevolent arrangements and sew
ing societies of the church, to hold con
sultation with Mrs. NJ and as is very
apt to be the caseiawith- these excellent
people who gather handful of seed ou,
of everybedylsg vineyard, Eshe dropped
some grains of strife here and there a
mong her good seed.
"Do you know, Mrs. Nj" she said
"AIrs. i - said she thought you had'nt
shown good Judgment in buying those
calicoes She said you gave too much
yard by three cents 1 stood up fol
you. For my part, I think Mrs. b
always wants to have the lead in every.
thing herself; and then Mrs. s. said
you didn't do your part ill having the so.
eiety meet at your house and put 'em
in mind how you'd been afflicted and all
that. l always stand up well to 'em
can tell you ;,'''.aad then. came another
half hour of talk, and the good soul went
away, leaving the sting of two nettle
strokes to infame in her listeners heart.
"Why should l mind it % she said to
herself dozen times that day (; but she
did mind it. 1t came between her and
her peace, and often hung on herewith a
vague sense of something disagreeable,
even when she put it out of her mind.
1t would seem as if the week, SO in
auspiciously' begun, was fated to poor
Mrs. NJ. Her cook was in one of
those surly periods-to which the minds
Of most human being are often subject :;
and nobody can say why cooks shouldn't
be subject to ill:humor sometimes as well
as their betters at all events, Mrs
M -''s,head womahi had such phases,
which were only borne in peace because
of her general honesty and ability. The
second girl, new hand, was well mean
ing, but laundering, and succeeded on
Tuesday in breaking an elegant cut glass
dish, which had come down as an heir
loom to Mrs. NJ, from her mothers
family. Had it been the death of
child, Mrs. M would have borne the
stroke like an angel but, as it was only
her best glass dish, she thought she did
well to be angry, and was angry accord
ingly. In short, So many misehances
happered this luckless week, that when
Sunday came again she seemed to her.
self like some chilled shipwrecked mari
ner, who crawls, shivering, on to rock
to dry his wet garments and look about
him. What difference between this
Sunday and the last
GLOW am | ever to make progress in
religion ?'' she said to her old Aunt Mar
had come to spend tlre day with
her. 81 really think if had nothing to
do but attend OH the means of grace-if
we could have constant Sabbaths and
prayers, and hymns, l might endure
but each weeks cares seem to wash out
what Sunday does" r-~ ---Lc~I
Daughter !!"' said Aunt Martha, ''you
haven't got hold of the right end Of tile
&hein. 1t won't unwind as you are doing
it."
"Do tell me, then, what is the right
end 2"
"Ihe right way is to call your crosses
and your cares your means of grace
They are better than prayers, and psalms,
and hymns when you take them i'll that
way. Your means Of grace, this week
have been your servants i'll tempers
the breaking OF your glass dish I; your
heedlesiness /; the little unjust,
provoking things people have said of you.
Call these your means of grace, accept,
value, Use them as such, and you will
grow faster in religion than if you went
to church every day of the week"
Mrs. M-Ewas silent. A whole new
vein of thought was opened within her.
'Now," said Aunt Martha, "have you
told your Father in heaven all these
things you have been telling me 2"
''TheSe things ! Oh, no 1t has been
my object to keep such tritles out of my
mind lii my prayers"
'Better let them i'll, and show them to
Him."
''These little foolish things 90 s' Is. ''-'
at seems they are great enough to
hinder your peace to stand i'll the way
Of your Christian life if they can do
hat, they arc not little things. Call
hem your lessons take them into your
prayers speak freely to your Father Of
hem; look at them as the daily tasks
lie sets you; believe every one of them
las all appointed meaning, and no church
'r sermon can do SO much for you. My
;hild, l had not been alive this day, if I
lad not learned to do this.''
Mrs. NJ knew that her aunt had 4
,een through the long trial which only
he wife Of drunkard knows, and yet
he pelce of God was written in every
inc of her face, and these few words
howed the secret of that peace She
esolved that the next week she would
ry and begin the sEein at the right end.
iood friend, if your life-skein will not
Wind smoothly, try the same experiment.
CHEERFULLNEss AND MoRosENEss.-ItI
We are cheerful and contented, all nature
mlies with, us the air seems more
'aliny, the sky more clear, the ground |
las q brighter green, the trees have a
1cher foliage, the flowers more fragrant
nell, the birds sing more sweetly, and
ne sun, moon and stars all appear more
We take ourfood with relish,
nd whatever it may De it pleases us.
We feel better for it-stronger and live
Ier, and tit for exertion. Now what