Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-05-09
BIG BROTHERS AND LITTLE SIS.
TIERS.

BIG BROTHERS AND LITTLE SIS
TIERS.
There's always two sides to eyery-
thing" said positive, boyish voice out
side my window this morning.
There amt two sides to a string"
answered smaller voice. equally positive
and equally regardless of grammar.
But while / smiled at the speakers the
words of the first fitted into my thou ghts
aptly, for / had just been reading a
pleasant little volume called Talks With
Girls" in which the duty of sisters to
their young brothers was particularly set
forth and was thinking how, as | read
that chapter, a pair of bright eyes looked
over my shoulder, and their owner said:
That's so; the girls do plague us
awfully. just wish you'd write another
book, an1 give it TO 'em harder ~
But there are always two sides to
everything" and it is the other side about
which l want to talk to you, boys, a few
moments.
There was once tiny girl toilfully
going through her Sunday-school lesson,
and it was observed that, as she studied,
the small face grew more and more cloud
ed, until at last she lifted up her voice
and wept loud and long, whereat there
to somebody to ask what was the matter.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES poor little
Polly, "the verse says, Add to your god
illness, bTOtterly kindness and if that's
kindness like Toms l don't like i. at allp'
What did she mean? Well, / suspect
she meant that Tom was Just such a
brother to her as a great many of you are
to your little Pollies at home. l suspect
she knew what it was to have her dolls
hung up in the apple trees, and her
kittens tails tied together, and 10 be
leaped at from behind doors and growled
at in dark corners. imagine she had
been tickled and pinched and locked into
the closet; she was used to being called a
pickle and cry-baby, and a little pug,
and to trotting with patient feet upstairs,
downstairs, out to the orchard, into the
tool-room, hither and yon, on errands, for
the doing of which she received only
tweak of the ear or careless Jest in place
of thanks
Yet, also suspect that Tom was a
generous lad, who despised a Sneak
and who, if he had seen another boy
abuse or torment Polly, would have
promptly offered to bestow on that indi-
vidual black eye. 1 have no doubt that
in the play ground or at school he was
goodnatured and honorable, disdaining a
"mean" action and emulous to be manly.
He would open wide eyes of astonish-
ment at any suggestion of cruelty in his
conduct toward his sister, and reply with
honest candor:
"Why, it's only Polly; she don't mind"
All, boysl "only Polly" has a tender
little heart, and it aches many a time,
when you don't know it, with the sting
of your careless teasing. The words you
utter so lightly, and forget in ten minutes,
are arrows to her sensitive little soul, and
the tricks which seem to you so trifling
are weighty trials to her.
'Well, but" says Tom, cts so silly of
her to mind; because she knows we don't
mean anything"
That is one view of it. 1 suppose il
she was boy, or grown up, or wise. she
would not mind; but being just Polly,
little and weak and silly-if that is what
you call it-she can't help it. You know
if you squeeze a rubber ball tightly in
your hand it will expand again into as
round a ball as ever, and you cannot even
see the place where it was compressed.
But if you try the same experiment on a
handful of rose-leaves the result will be
very different. And rose-leaves are not
much more easily crushed flat than
Polly's feelings. 1t seems absurd to
Tom; but then it is fact, and facts, you
know, even if they are ever so much in
the way, cannot be disregarded. Wouldn't
Tom be the truer gentleman if he accept
ed facts and spared Polly's feelings even
at the loss of little fun? After all, is
the fun so amusing it can't be replaced
with something better? Then, too, Polly
loves Tom so dearly; she is so ready to
believe in the extent of his strength and
wisdom and ability, if he will but leave
her faith undisturbed by teasing pranks.
Tom has a warm heart under his jacket,
and think he privately enjoys Polly's
love and admiration; but also think it
is pity he covers up his feelings so care
fully, and rather snsbs Polly's kisses
For the day will come when the little
sisters love will be valued at its worth,
and, it may be, wished for in vain.
Once we were going on grand fishing
excursion from Cherrywold, and word
was brought that a certain famous
traveller would like to join us. He was a
man hat had ridden elephants in India,
and polar bears at the North pole, for all
knowl He had hunted lions, and been
lost in jungles, and friZZled in hot count
ries and stiffened in Arctic regions, and
been all over the world; he had been a
soldier, too; and everybody who knew
about him knew what courage and
patience and nobility made up the man.
You can imagine how the boys shouted at
the prospect of having such fishing COM
panion, who could tell stories of every
thing they wanted to know, and answer
all their questions, and who liked boys.
too!
Well, the reality was just as delightful
as we all expected, which is saying
great deal, as every one knows who has
halopoaI IN debatiDn oluh and
discussed the question about the pleas
ures of anticipation. After we came
home / said to the famous traveller:
(Which of the boys did you like best?"
And he answered promptly, Jack"
So asked why, because thought he
would have said Tom, or Dick, or Harry,
and this is what he said:
Because he went back after we were
started to kiss his little sister, and wasn't
ashamed of it, either"
Then this brave, wise man-the bravest
man l ever knew-told me a secret. Said
he:
''The real promise for boys future is
shown in the way he treats his little sis.
ters."
Dear mep' thought /, what a love-
ly time your little sisters must have hadp'
But / didn't say that. l only wondered
HOW I1tllN VI lllc lOuls h0OW WOulu Uc
willing to have the hope of their future
manliness measured by their treatment of
their little Pollies.
But oh, my dear boys, think my trav-
eler was right; for the most truly brave
soul is tender toward the little and weak;
the most manly heart is the one that loves
most; the greatest are the most patient;
and the st. Georges who are sure to con-
ouer the dragons abroad, are gentlest
with the Pollies at home.-Chrtsttdn
Union.
Ministers in Canada are as poorly
provided for as in the States. The Toron-
to Presbyterian says, "Of 296 ministers
in charge, 113. or more than one-third,
receive less than 5000 per annum. That
is less than So day, less than clerk in
a store or junior in a bank. Yet on that
stipend minister is expected to live, and
support and educate his family in way
to 40 nnSitinn in lffo