The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1872-02-03
OUR SATURDAY NIGHT.
The New Years Gift.

The New Years Gift.
This Saturday night thinking Of
the lines
''The New Year comes tonight, ma NINA
The old year dies with me"-
there came % on the wings Of the
wind such q crowd of little child
rem till itseems as though our room
is filled. They sit in the easy
chair before us. on the sofa-on
the ottomans; they cluster about
the piano, the cabinet Of keep
sakes, the books and pictures.
They are looking ct the pretty
things on our desk and elsewhere
in the room. Now they are all
keeping still. while one little one
says:
81 am real glad to 500 you to-
night. We all love to visit you,
for your home is pretty and quiet
like ours. We see You ever-so-
many-times when you do not see
us. Sometimes We come TO you
on errands, then stop to see you
write, or to look out of the vim
dows down upon the poor children
on the street. We pity them. and
want tonight to write something
they all can read. We were little
children once. Some Of US had
poor homes and no ones to love us
much till We come up here in this
life. Will you make the letters,
and print the words for the poor
little children who are about your
They can understand you, every
where. We want to give them
some New Years gifts. We can
NJ. buy things for them ell, but We
give them ever-so-much Of our
hearts in kind words"
''How often do you come, little
sprite7"
"Very, very Often. Come with
messages from friends, who knew
you in life. Come to whisper
something in your ear, then fly
back to our homo. Sometimes We
come and whisper things you will
not hear, for you are 80 full Of
business thoughts, or work on
some money matter, we cannot
| get your attention. Then we 60
way feeling sad. @
"But tonight you will write to
the little folks for us. Once all Of
us-oh! ever so many thousands-
were poor little children on eal tn.
Then we died, as you call it, and
come to live here-just 40 you
come from that little bit of an Of
fee in which you once worked SO
hard in the cold, to this beautiful
Office 90 full Of attractions and 90
comfortable. There are more
folks where we live now than here,
where We lived once. A'lare hap
py. But some are happier than
others, because they are more ed
ucated and can enjoy more. Jus'
~ some live in the cellar. some or
the first floor, some on another. Al
in this great big house which seems
big 10 you, but 80 little to US.
, Tell the little children they
must not be afraid to die. They
are all better off then. There il
no such place as lake Of FIRE
where God tortures little innocen
ones. God is all love, so we al
! love Him. That makes us happy
I Up here are men and women, jus
: as in the world They are all bu
sy. Some are higher than others
Some arc helping in great wsrk
some are studying. Not fron
books. but in the library Of nature
q Some men are studying inventions
& They send US little children wit
ideas, and we fly down to earth
whisper what we are told to, some
times when you are asleep. Yc
don't know where these new idea
y come from, but We 81. know u
= here.
Everybody works up here, an
on up beyond where l live now
Some day I shall go up higher
when I have grown, and becom
finer, purer. in my feelings S
!. \. with everybody. Oh, l tell 20
70 there are grand inventions goin
h ON up here for you folks down o
e earth We have such great, bi
y shops here, where all can help an
n make things. Such colleges. whel
n folks study. Such laboratorie
y where men or spirits-for the bod
does not think-find out what me'
icines will do to alleviate pain an
all such things.
1--WE would help you on earl
ct more, but you won'tlet Us. Wee
:, p not like to come when folks lauf
ed at us, ana insult us for coming
tell you. Up here We know ever
thing before you know it ther'
II We do not know it first you cou
not know il. God knows IL. Y
find it out from Him-then b
'you. So We are making the woz