Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-07-07

from the IOluS OF ner mOIner ureSS.
"They placed him there when the
church was built, hundreds of years ago."
"Who did?"
"The men who built the church"
They must have been very naughty
men, and I don't love them at ALL" said
the child.
The parents were now laughing heart
lily. and the girl, treasured by their mer-
riment, looked up again at the figure.
"Is it funny !" she said.
"No," said the father; "but it is fun
ny that you should be frightened at such
an old image, which can only make
grown-up people smile, or look at it as
a curiosity"
"What is curiosity 2" said the child.
Something queer,-not like what you
see every day."
The child was still puzzled.
"Did children put it there for grown
up people to laugh at ?" she inquired.
"Well, my little one, you see, the
whole world was something like child
once. Can you understand that ?"
"Not bit" sighed the girl.
81 mean that, long time ago, people,
even after they were grown-up, used to
be frightened at big black clouds, and
lightning, and at the dark, just as you
were frightened by that stone"
IL am not afraid of the dark" said
the child.
mo; because your mother and /. and
all your friends. were never afraid of it /;
nor of clouds and thunder. But when
the world was child, as 1 told you, it
had not found out what darkness is, and
what the clouds are made of. Then they
thought that the cloud and thunder and
the dark, and everything ugly, and every
thing they were afraid of,-snakes and
tigers and cruel men,-must have been
made by bad deity-not the same that
made the blue sky and the roses. Now,
that ugly figure there is that bad deity"
"Oh, oh p exclaimed the child, "I'm
afraid of him i! Where does that bad
one live?"
"He doesn't live at all. There isn't
any bad deity. They thought SO, but
they were mistaken,-just as you were
mistaken in thinking that stone could
hurt you"
"But why did they not take it down
when they found they were mistaken o.
"Why, when they found that the
clouds and darkness and snakes anG
tigers were not made by any bad power
they still thought there must be one
because there were so many bad mel
and women. When people killed eacf
other, and did other wicked things. they
thought there must be a big wicked
creature who made them do it, in ordel
that he might get them after they wer,
dead, and treat them cruelty. So they
kept him up there to make people believ,
how ugly it was to be wicked and cruel
and what horrible monster would ge
them"
"But didn't it brighten good people
How could people play with their doll
and eat cake If they thought there wa
a bad one with horns and great teeth t.
eat everybody he could?"
"Well, yes, it did brighten good PEG
pie, till they rose above it.
"Father, what do you mean by ros
above at"
"Oh, dear little questioner, we mus
really go on now. and talk about al
this at another time. l mean that the
rose above it by finding that there wa
not really any such monster, just as 20
rose above your fear when We told 20
the figure could not hurt you
The three entered the cathedral. Th
parents pointed out to their child beau
tiful statute of the Madonna, but tn
child said. softly:
Mother, if that ugly one with horn
were alive, could never play with m
dolly. l would hide her."
Don't think of that any more, littl
daughter" said the mother; "look q
that beautiful babe with light aroun
its head. on the gay-colored window"
The child gazed, but was silent; til
cloud had not lifted. Presently, the
passed up a winding stairway, an
stepped fourth upon parpet beneat
the clear morning sky. Then the motht
saw that her darling's eyes were full
tears. She pressed the child to ht
breast. and soothed her, and pointed be
- H. b,.ll.ook "a.