St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-07-02
flor Mr Children.
Jack, the Shoeblack.
THE WAY To DO GOOD.

YES, but it i very hard Ia find ont
how To do good" said tn my friend.
''IIow to do good - he replied
''liStcn to me. and will tell You how
managed to do II little the other day
WAS crossing Il road in the city. late in
the evening. just ;IS ] got on he pave
meut. | S:Iw Il good many ragged lads
b"ggaIS. thieves or both standing III Il
knot, talking laughing. and swearing.
1t WAS Il damp, drilling night. and |
piticd the poor fellows. loumging there
in THEN rags and misery. | WAS u>t
passing them. when one shouted some
jrcrin" words after me. Suddenly
do not know why | turned round. and.
went up +" the one who had spoken,
saving. with u kind voice. Did Won
speak to me. my hoy - y" Joke
seemed to he ready. and he >llamhlrd
Il little way. muttrIing. No sir \
Thought came int. my head. and III Il
minute | stepped into the very middle
of the dirty group. pat my back against
the wall and said. BOYS. listen 10 me
| have some thin" t" tell lou Il sort OF
story.
"IhcN were silent for an instant. |
did not wait. but before any one had
time to utter any rihald words. com
mcnccd speaking. If ever | prayed in
my heart. | prayed then. that tod
would help me, and put words ITO my
mouth. | used the plaineSt speech |
could. | told them. very shortly. how
cod had made. and meant lis Ill To he
happy. and said they knew, and 81 did
/. that hardly one of lis WAS happy. |
very often WAS not ; they very often
were not. That God still piticd and
loved us. and still wished and did
much t" make Us happy. spoke III
the most earnest manner | could. every
now and then stopping t" tell them that
this was no fancy that God nor. at this
NcIN minute. wa, longing aud striving
to save us from our misery.
soon. to my delight, | saw that. by
the use of we and us 10y avoid
ing merely addressing nr preaching as Il
superior hrInc To Them. and 10y not
speaking of guilt or sin. but of unhap-
pincsS. thus not seeming to find fault 8.
had caught their attention. They
Thought it was something of common
interest | wa> talking about and of
unhappinc>s. poor lads. they knew only
too much. saw the opportunity, and
went on Nov. boys. want to tell
Won a true story. OF how God has loved
Won. and me- aud all of us: and of what
ne has done fol YOU. and me. and all of
us And then. III the plainest terms |
could find. told them the story of the
life. and suifcringS. III death of Jesus
Christ. Do YOU know. hardly ever
fen il. that dear. dear story. to he 50
utterly. ~ entirely true. 81 altogether
Il hat -
evening. telling it to dirty thieves on Il
dirty London pavement. | sad moth
iug of punishment or hell Just tried
To tell them how Jesus Christ. the Son
OF tod. loved them and me. and came
Ia die for lis. and how men treated him
on earth. Whenever | could. | used
thc words of the Bible. and the solemn
>criptural language seemed To assist in
fixing their attention.
AS | spoke of how weary. and tired.
and hungry he often WAS. how poor and
humble. and how he Went on through
ttntnesS and WEAKNESS. and sorrow.
irving aud irving to do good To those
who hated him. not "A word or a sound
WIS heard. Then. IL the end came
nearer. and rccountcd the base CON
duet of his enemies. and the cowardice
"f his lew friends. trying with all my
might to make the last awful scenes
seem true to them. heard now and then
Il shuttle. aS one and another tattercd
figure pushed nearer (tor even in this
Christian land this story is new to null
titudes) To hear how the good Lord had
suffered for him.
''Thcy listened with faces of awe.
dirty enough but solemn. to hear of
the agony that made drops OF blood
roll down his face: and when they
heard of how he died. hanging by nails
on Il wooden cross. because they were
wrctchcd and wicked. heard. and God
heard too. little sobs of uncontIo llable
emotion. Dirty hands wiped dirty
faces. and their round eyes never moved