The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1871-06-28
down in state of despair and began to


the yard from school, and Jesse asked
him, in tone Of distress, to help him
make his shop.
81 am too busy with my lesson," was
his response.
"But you are not learning your lesson
just now please help me" said the little
boy, With tears in his eyes.
With an air Of ofimpatience, the brother
said:
"You are always asking ne to do
something for you. have something
else to do"
The mother of the boys looked from
the porch where she was sitting, at the
one who had just spoken, and quietly
asked him if he had ever been a little
boy. He smiled, and said he supposed
he had. She then asked him to spare a
few moments and try to make Jesse
happy, saying to him that the little
effort required would not seriously inter-
fere with his studies, aud that the act
would, in the days to come, be source
ofsweet thoughts to him.
Without saying any thing more, he
laid down his books and proceeded at
once to help the distressed little work
man. 1t took him, perhaps, a half or
three.quarters of an hour to make the
shop, with Jcsse's assistance 10 handing
him what was needed. Long before it
was completed Jesse was talking largely
about the various articles of furniture
he expected to make for the different.
members of the family, and was not only
happy himself, but was So sweet in his
happiness that all the other members of
the family-for the rest of the members
had come to look at the shop-partie:
pated in his happiness. Indeed, all felt
kind Of partnership in the shop.
Jesse was chief owner, but he was so
generous in his ownership that he made
the other members forget that the shop
was not as mach theirs as his. The
kindness which his brother had done
him Was not kindness to him only, but
to all the family. And what was strange
the brother found that his lesson that
day seemed to be little easier than
usual; and when the day was ended he
was not able to see that he had lost any
time.
Now, children, 1 should call the hap
piness thus afforded cheap happiness,
and think you will all agree with me
in saying that there was great deal of
it for the amount Of time and trouble it
cost. But this is only one case out ofa
thousand that l could mention if l had
time. I have seen little girl whose
eyes were filled with tears on account
Of some difficulty in adjusting her dolls
dress, suddenly made to smile, and soon
after have heard her singing her doll
to sleep in the most. composed, sweet,
and mothcrly way, and all from Ter
having, in her trouble, received the
slightest assistance from her mother or
her older sister. I have known the
gloom taken from the brow and the
despair from the heart OF some older boy
or girl by kind word of explanation
or assistance on the part Of another in
the solution ofsome problem in mathe-
matits, or the translation of a difficult
sentthce in Latin. l have seen the IA
ther and mother when they were over
burdened with cares and anxicties, and
when their hearts saddened, made to
experience relief by the "li:tle deeds Of
kindness, the little words Of love-" or
even the cheerful smiles OF their chill
dren.
Recently we had the "wizard oil
man" in our neighborhood, and almost
every body was running to hear him
talk aud sing of the merits Of his wiz,
ard oil. Aud it was astonishing to see
how maoy people there were who we're
suffering with pains, and aches, and
bruises, and burns, and sprains, and
fractures, and dislocations, and sores,
aud partial deafness, and partial lame
ness, and various other Affections and
in6rmi:ies almost too numerous to men
ton. And it was equally astonishing
that so many of these people could be
brought to believe, without trial, that
the wizard oil could cure them all
They took the word Of the "wizard oil
man" alone, and almost every body
bought bottle, aud began to take the
oii internally and to rub with it extern
ally. Many Of them found that, like DR..
franklin, Who, then boy, paid too
much for whistle, they had paid too
much for the wizard oil.
l am satisfied, children, that if l
were to try I could obtain certificates
from moro than ten thousand good peo'
pie who are well known throughout the
country that my prescription can be re-
lied on-that kindness will cure more
people than any other remedy ever
known, and that it costs less than any
other 1t dosen't cure them of every
thing, but it does cure them Of unhappi.
ness. Sometimes it requires the small
est amount imaginable tc effect q cure.
Some people always keep about their
houses, and sometimes about their per-
son, little camphor or hartshorn, or
something else which they think good
in case of accidents. What l have to
say to all, and especially to all the chill
dren who read the Golden Hours, in
this: Always keep about you, not in a
vial, Of course, but in your hearts, that
which is far better than spirits Of CAM
phor or spirits Of hartshorn-a spirit Of