Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-01-20
Jacks Prayer.

1t was the one his mother laugh. Rim.
One guesses that without being told II it,
so universally the same is the source
whence children first learn the language
OF devotion. But good mothers are some
times weary and discouraged. They need
the rcassuring cheer of every fact and
story that exhibits anew the immortality
OF their pious influence. Like that in
tiuence, like the first tidings OF the grace
OF God, such stories never grow old
II the influence of a good mother ever
could be lost, it would have been lost on
a boy named johnny, who grew up 10 ne
called wicked, BLACK Jack His mo
thcr was an invalid, and died when he
was very young. One evening near the
time Of her death, the child knclt beside
her as usual at bedtime, and uttered his
simple supplication:
''Pray God bless me, and make me
good boy, and pardon all my sins, and
take me to Heaven when I die, for Jesus
Christ's sake. Amen
When he rose from his knees he was
grieved to see his mother weeping, and
asked the cause She tod him she was
thinking what would become of him if he
should forget his prayers when she was
gone, and forget God
But Johnny said he would surely re-
member. 1t was the last time his mother
had strength to speak to him. He cried
to see her laid in the grave; but he did
'remember'-no long.
There is no need to trace all the steps
by which the bereayed, neglected child
became familiar with the evil ways His
growth in recklessness was swift, and
showed in deplorable maturity when his
mother had been forty years asleep in
Jesus.
Physically he was u fine specimen oil
manhood. His strength and size were al
most gigantic. and lie often boosted that
he had never been sick Il day in his life
But in character he was a person whom
the good dreaded, whom the weak feared
and hated, and whom the young never
came in contact with unarmcd He
drank, and gambled, and blasphemed, and
delighted in lawless mischief His dark
countenance and immense black beard
gave the name OF "Back jack by which
he was always known. He had no fam
lily OF his own, as many OF his compan
ions had, and he spent his earnings on his
vices, and his bad example and intlu
ence made woe for many wives and chill
dred, whose natural providers would else
have saved their wages for them.
AT length, while engaged in wild
midnight adventure, he was fired upon by
some men whose property he had plumb
cred, and got away with several charges
of small shot III his body. He did not
ir1 hn hut
leap across the stream during his flight
in the darkness he fell and broke his leg.
The pain and injury made him helpless
to crawl up the bank, and he lay there in
the mud and water, in that lonely place,
undiscovered for two nights and three
days. His sutterings were fearful, but
his horror OF mind was more than all.
The strong man who had dcticd danger
and accident, and death, and dc:ied God
| himself, was brought low. When his
! strength was spent with shouting, and
! struggling, and the long fasting, and he
had abandoned all hope OF being found
and rescued there came wildly before
! him the scene OF his mothers death, forty
years ago. and half-unconsciousIy he was
repeating again.
Pray God bless me, and make me q
good boy, and pardon all my sins, and
take me to Heaven when die, for Jesus
| Christs sake. Amen"
Then he tainted away. Near the close
of the third day he was discovered and car
ried to the hospital. 1t was wonderful
that he lived; but his iron constitution
resisted death. He recovered, acrippIe,for
it had been necessary to amputatc dis
leg.
The months of his long conva!cscence
in the hospital had been months OF
thought and prayer, and the child petit
ton, forgive all my sins" was heard and
answered. Black Jack lived many years
afterward to be a blessing where he had
| been a curse. Did not his mother share
tn the JOY in Heaven over the sinner that
iepented!-Youths Conpanio1