The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-09-19
JUVENILE COLUMN.
GRANDA1oFHER,s STORY OF DANIEL IN
THE LIONS DEN.

was quite shy of him, hardly knowing what to
make of his boisterous ways But when sho
she learned to love him dearly, and they were
very happy together.
True, he wanted to play "circus' with her
dolls and "caravnnsn with her Noah,s ark
animals, while he dressed up her pet kitten for
n monkey, and did all sorts ofsthinCs that a
little, quiet girl would never think of, but she
soon learned to enjoy the fun almost well
he did
Sunday was very happy day for our Little
Blossom. She went to church and to Sabbath
school, and when she was at home she had
plenty of books with pictures in them that she
called her "Sunday-books," with which she
busted herself for hours together.
often, too, her dear grandmother would tell
her some sweet Bible story in her simple and
delightful manner.
Little Willie, however, found the Sabbath
rather hard day. 1t was task for him to sit
taste for books; but with his little cousin to
explain the pictures, he managed to get along
pretty well through the first Sunday of his
visit.
'Pn tell you what wen do" said Little
Blossom, as the two children sat, at sunset,
on the broad step of the "end door," with u
pile of picture books, through which they had
looked. onthe little~cricket near them: "We'l
put the books away, and go and ask dear
grandma to tell us story.
So the children went to her grandmother and
asked her to tell them story.
willie wants to hear about lion or bear"
said Little Blossom, but / don't spose you
would tell us anything but Bible story on
Sunday"
Grandma smiled in her pleasant way.
But" said she, "what if L could tell yep a
Bible story about anilnals-some lions, for
instance ?"
"Could you ?" asked Little Blossom, looking
up with her blue eyes filled with wonder and
delight. THAT would be splendidW
Willie nodded his head arprovingly. eyes,"
said he, 'that would suit me exactly"
The children clambered up upon the broad,
comfortable lounge, and sat with their arms
around each other, while their good grand
mother told them the story of
DANIEL IN THE LIONS DEN.
In far-away country there once lived a
king named Darius
He was heather; that is he did not worship
the true God, but he bowed down to idols
instead.
He had placed good man, named Daniel, as
ruler over large part of his kingdom, and
this made some of the people very angry.
more of Daniel than he did of them, SO they
watched him very closely, to see if they could
find him doing anything wrong, SO that they
might go and tell the king about it,
- But Daniel was very faithful in all his
business, and these wicked men could not find
any fault in him.
At last they planned way by which they
thought they could make Dapiel disobey the
king.
They knew that he was in the habit of
praying to God three times a day before the
towards the city of Jerusalem.
Daniel was jew, and all the Jews loved
Jerusalem, because the temple was there,
where they used to go once a year to offer up
sacrifice and pray to God.
% L know about the temple" interrupted
Little Blossom, eagerly. sit is where the good
brought up by the priests. He>1Sore q little
linen coat, and the Lord spoke to him in the
night"
II am glad you rep.ember about him." said
9rlnumOther,
I, 'But when>>are we coming to the lions ?"
asked Willie, a little impatient at the interrupt
ton. -
every soon," said grandma, and she went on
with her story.
These wicked men went to the king and
asked him to make a law that for thirty days
people should not pray to any one but him, or,
if they did, they should be cast into den of
lions.
Now this was very foolish law to make,
but suppose King Darius wanted to please the
men who asked him, never for moment
thinking that any harm could come from it.
Didn't he know" asked Willie "that
Daniel prayed every day to the true God?"
81 presume not" said grandma 'if he had
known it, he would not have made such law,
because he loved Daniel very much.
"Now when Daniel heard of this new law
he didf'
81. guess he stepped his praying pretty
quick" answered Willie, very decidedly.
or; rs;' sTitf Little fSfussUm frgsitItinp=
", che shut the blinds up, or went into the
closet where he said his prayers"
at is true,n said grandma ''that God could |
have heard him just as well if he had whisper |
ed his prayers in the darkest and most secret |
place, but he did>not want all these wicked |
men to think that he was afraid to be seen !
doing right; so he knelt down by his window /
three times n day, with his face turned |
towards the holy city of Jerusalem and said
his prayers just the same as ever"
'But wasn't he afraid the king would know
Of it, and throw him to the lions ?" asked
Willie.
'He knew" said grandma, chat the heaven
ly King whom he worshiped stronger
than Darius, and that he could, if he wished,
deliver him from the power of the lions, even
if he were cast into their den.
GAS soon the wicked men heard Daniel
praying, they went and told the king of it,"
They were just as pleased they could be
about it, too, suppose" said Little Blossom. .,
e.. "Of course they wore," said grandma, ''for
now they could complain of Daniel, and get
him punished"
''Why didn't the king take back what he
said, and let Daniel go ?" asked Willie.
because in that country the king could not
change n law after he had made it; and
although Darus felt very bad, and tried all day