The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-09-11
SUNDAY READINa.


OUR DAILY BREAD. E.
A beggar boy stopped at a rich mans door,
Nm hou,eless and friendlsss and faint and
S 6saS ss:!i the : s siss :s;a
"oh, give me a orumb, from your board to-day
Ts help the ssssar boy on NJ K. w az ,,a
The rieh man went to the parish church,
n, face grew grave q hs y srod ne porch
bns s S.ss % * hs ns maj"
Arose and svsiied through the long aisiss dim
Then the rich man knslt and the words he
wsrs-"aIve u, this day ourdaily bread"
REvxRn NOT RELIGION Have you never
seen, on hot, swelterlng summer day, q
boy at his studiesi Ho takes up his book
and opens II at given place, and reads a
little. He does not want TO read there, so he
opens II at another place, and reads little
there. He does not want TO read there
either, and turns 10 another place and reads
a little. He takes up another book and
looks at the pictures. lie takes up another
book. It Is bottom-side up; but he does not
know Il. He takes up another book. And
so he listlessly drills. Ali the summer aftcr-
noon he has been busy with his books, but
he has not gained one single idea. He Is In
a state Of revcrle all the time. What would
you think of q mechanic who should go to
his bench, preposscssed by some sorrow or
10y, and thoughtlessly take up his chisel and
cut with Il here, and lay, that down and take
up his compass and mark out some work
there, and lay II aside and take up his saw
and draw II once or twice, and then take up
his plane; and SO run through his whole kit
OF tools, without any aim or object, framing
al At. htaR a ~ N
result, simply beginning one thing and then
anotherl SO men do, precisely, In religion.
The problem with every man IL, how will
you establish manhood on moral basisi
How will you begin at the smallest point
and carry up your life on higher plane,
with noble purpose, and with daily accrc-
lions and victoriesi But men, instead Of
doing anything, think about this thing and
that. They think about the poetry OF re.
llglon. They think about the sermons they
have heard, and turn them over In their
mind. They arc said to be thoughtful. They
say, shave religion much In my mind"
Yes, II Is In their mind as reyerie. They
are like smokers. A man goes into his
study and puts his feet on tho stove and
rocks, and takes his pipe and smokes for
ideas! And soon the ideas curl up about his
headl And the room Is full Of ideas at last!
And there are thousands Of them who treat
religion in very much the same way. They
arc amer ideas. And what more do they get
than vague, pleasing, but absolutely useless
rcyeriei There Is & very bad habit Of digcs-
ton where everything turns to reverle. Men
ought to reduce thoughts to purposes, and
purposes to results. That Is the true, manly
course.-H. W. Beschtr.
CHRISTIAN woRK.-On becoming Chris
tan one should contemplate engaging for
the remainder OF his life In such service to
God as he has or can gain fitness for. lie
ought to regard Ii as settled, as covenanted
between him and his Saviour, that Ii Is hence
forth to be his chief, his one purpose and
aim, to do good. He learns from his Bible
that he is a branch on which fruit Is to DO
found; q steward from whose trust In
crease will DO expected; a light that Is to so
shine that the darkness shall feel Its power
and give place to II; a partaker and rcvealer
of the Divine nature. To be regcnoratcd Is
to be consecrated. We are saved to be not
our own, but his who has loved us and given
himself for us. And the dedication Is TO be
cocyal with the salvation; one and insepara-
BILE should they be considered. Every per-
son, therefore, who thinks himself Chris
tan ought to see that he is striving to be as
useful as possible. All are as much bound
to do so as any. There Is no ground on
which one can rightly ask to be excused.
The principle that could justify the idleness
of the smallest would also justify the use
lcssness OF the largest; for the obligation Is
not to do n great deal, but to do what we
can. May the time soon come when indis-
position or neglect to work earnestly for the
advancement of his kingdom will be looked
upon by all protesting Christians as a
full evidence of lack Of saving interest In
Christ; or rather, the time when they shall
all have measure Of his zeal, and make
annh n miaai0n hia
Through all these years, Christian-sum-
mer and winter, Sabbaths and week days
Young, middle-aged, or old work, cork,
WORK for the glory Of God, for the saving Of
a pcrlshing world. And that you may have
heart and will to do so, cvermore "dbids In"
Christ. Keep In lively fellowship with him
by whom the apostle could, and by whom
likewise we can, do all things. Experience
Of Christ and Christian efforts are naturally
dependent on each other-liyc or die to
gcthcr.
An ESdLIsuMAS writing home about Sun
day schools In America says "First, there
was an air Of comfort, not to say elegance,
which was too absent from our Sunday
schools. Some OF the schools were even
carpeted. Then the conveniences were ad-
mirable. Instead ofthe long, straight forms,
which make teachers task SO Difficult, In
this country, the classes are arranged on
horseshoe forms, the teacher sitting near
the opening. His seat was arranged to turn
any way, and there was attached to 1t q little
desk, that his books or arm might rest upon.
To secure punctuality, there was large card
board hung at the door, which before school
time showed an inscription, In blue letters,
Sin Time After the school hour II was re-
versed, and showed, In staring red letters,
TOO Later and II was wonderful how little
either teachers or scholars appeared TO like
| to have this hanging before them on their
entrance. The problem Of OBTAINING the
elder scholars also seemed to be to o great
extent solved and the explanation Of this
was that all classes and ages took their
share In the work Of teaching. Some Of the
most honored citizens Of America were to be
found In the Sunday school, and the children
Of the wealthy-so generally conspicuous by
their absence from English Sunday schools
attend In America"
SABBATH PIErY.-IIerc is q bit Of spicy
suggestion from some anonymous source +;
"There Is q mystery about this effect Of the
weather on piety. Sabbath heat seems hot
ter, Sabbath cold seems colder, and Sabbath
rain wcttcr than that Of any other day. For
the same measure Of heat, or cold, or rain
on week day will not keep one from his
usual business. We need q Sabbath Alma
nae, circulated for our churches, that will
show by Its weather scale when II will be
safe for vigorous Christian, weak and
sickly Christian, and q common Christian to
expose himself on the Sabbath by going to
the house of God, Such an almanac would
enable pastors and superintendent of Sab.
BATH schools TO know whom they could de.
pend on in church, Sabbath school, and
prayer meeting. have recently been ex-
amining microscopic views of the different
snowlakes-a hundred or SO of them.
would suggest TO our curious Swans an ex-
animation of Sabbath snow, to sec II 1t has
q peculiarly sharp and Injurious crystal"
CONVENIENT abdes with truth. You
will generally suffer for wishing to appear
other than what YOU arc; whether IL be
richer, or greater, or more learned. The
mask soon becomes an instrument Of tor
ture.-LelpS.
Gould you but look upon duties as the
| galleries Of communion In which you walk
with God, where your souls may be filled
with those raylshing and matchless delights
that are In his presence, your soul would
not offer to stir from thence.-Fldvel.
KIND WORDS are among the brightest
flowers Of earth; they convert tho humblcst
home into a paradise; therefore use them,
especially around the lreside circle.