Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-11-29
The Bible in My Trunk.


before other persons, and some con-
tended it was pharisaical to "kneel
down. and "say your prayers" while
others were in the room. A minister
who was present related the following
anecdote.
" When l was o young man." said
he, II was n clerk at Boston. Two of
my room-mates at my boarding-house
were also clerks, about my own age,
which was eighteen. The first Sab
bath morning, during the three or four
hours that elapsed from getting up to
bell-ringing for church, felt II secret
desire to get Bible which my mother
had given me out of my trunk and
read in it, but was afraid to do
so before my messmates, who were
reading miscellaneous books. At last
my conscience got the mastery and [
rose up and went to my trunk. | had
half raised it. when the thought oc-
cured to me that it might look like
over-sanctity and pharisaical, so T shut
my trunk and returned to the window.
For twenty minutes I was miserably
at ease; felt L was doing wrong. /
started second time for my trunk,
and had my hand on my little Bible,
quered the better emotion, and /
again dropped the top of the trunk.
AS / turned away from it, one of my
room-mates, who observed my irreso-
lutte movements, said laughingly:
go say, what's the matter? You
seem as restless as n weathercOckp
I" replied by laughing in my turn;
and then conceiving the truth to be
ho fra IL Iy fol In xx-ha of
was the matter. TO my surprise and
that they both had Bibles in their
trunks and both had been secretly wish
ing to read in them, but were afraid to
them. Then said [, 'let us agree to
read them every Sabbath, and we shall
have the laugh on one side
"To this there was q hearty response,
and the next moment the three Bibles
were out; and | assure you we all felt
happier all that day for reading in the
morning.
"The following Sabbath, about ten
o'clock, while we were reading our
chapters, two of our fellow-boarder
they saw how we were engaged they
"'What is all this? a Conventiclev
"In reply, I stated exactly how the
matter stood; my struggle to get my
having found we had all been afraid Of
agreed to read every Sabbath. Not a
bad idea,' said one of them; You have
more courage than I have. [ have a
h,,f I inf
it since | have been in Boston. But |
will read it after this, since you've
broken the ice.
read aloud, and both sat down and lis
tened quietly till the bell rang out for
church.
That evening we three in the same
room agreed to have chapter read
each night by one or the other of us at
8 clock; and we adhered relgiously
to our purpose.
ga few evenings after this resolu-
ton four or five of the boarders there
were sixteen clerks boarding in the
house, happened to be in our room
talking when the 8 o'clock bell rang.
One OF my room-mates opened the BIZ
bic, looking at me. The others looked
inquiringly. L then explained our
custom.
Gwen stay and listen,' said they
almost unanimously.
"The result was that without an eX-
cepUion every one of the sixteen clerks
spent his Sabbath morning in read
ing the Bible; and the moral effect
upon our household was of the highest
character. | relate this incident"
continued the minister, " to show
what influence one person, even u
youth, may exert for good or evil. No
man should ever be afraid to do his
duty. A hundred hearts may throb to
act right, that only wait for leader.
/ forgot to add that we Were all called
the Bible Clerks All these youths
are now useful Christian men, and
more than one is laboring in the min
istry."-Chatrch and State.
Sophronius, wise teacher, Wonld
not suffer his grown-up sons and
dau ghters to associate with those
whose conduct was not pure and up
right.
"Dear father" said the gentle Eu-
lalia to him one day, when he forbade
her, in company with her brother, to
visit the volatile Lucinda = Dear
father, you must think us very child
ish, if you imagine we should be eX-
posed to any danger by it,"
The father took in silence dead
coal from the hearth, and reached it to
his daughter.
at will not hurt you, my child,
take it,"
Eulalia did so, and behold her deli
cate white hand was soiled and black
ened, and, as it CHANGED, her white
dress also.
ave cannot be too careful in hand
ling GOALS" said Eulalia in veXation.
eyes, truly" said her father, "you
see my child, that Goals, even if they
do not burn, will blacken. SO it is
ever with the company of the vi