Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-09-06
MISERS.

The duty and blessedness of giving,
and the sinfulness of penuriousness and
the evil resulting therefrom, are to obey
and truthfully set forth and with such
persistency, one would almost expect to
see the whole world converted to aims
giving, and certainly one would not ex-
pect to find such thing as grasping,
mlserly Christian beneath the skies.
But misers do exist and that, too,
among protesting Christians. A young
man of my acquaintance who is in debt
for his profession, on being remonstrat-
ed with for giving to benevolent OBJ
jects, replied, eff | don't form the hab-
it Of giving now, when starting in life
1 fear when the time comes that | am
able to give I shall have no inclination
to do so I've been looking the matter
over and it looks just so every time;
those who never give in early life sell
dom change in this respect, and the
narrowing, hardening. belittling inau-
ence that miserly habits have upon the
character, | would avoid as | would the
plague
Of course every one after prayerfully
considering the subject should decide
for himself upon the amount to be given
away, but we heartily agree with the
young man in thinking that persis-
tent turning away from all calls to be-
nevolent action, is evil, and surely evil
in its effect upon character, mentally,
morally and spiritually, and that such a
lamentable state of things is greatly to
be deprecated, and may be avoided by
proper training in early life.
Misers are hard to convert, but not
so difficult to prevent if taken in season.
And this work we fully believe can be
done only by parents and those who
have the care of children; and we like
wise believe that patient, continuous ef-
fort, will in nearly every instance prove
successful. When children are allowed
and even encouraged. in getting all the
money they can. and for the sole pur-
pose of spending it for themselves, or if
they are permitted to hoard their pen
MES, counting them over and over, and
rejoicing in them as is there was value
in the mere possession of them, we pre-
dict with scarcely peradventure, that
such children would become selfish,
miserly men and women.
We do not object to their being urged
to get money, and especially earn it for
themselves, but we would also have
them taught that the real value is in
using it wisely, and not for their benefit
alone, but that portion of it should be
set apart for some benevolent object
Let them be educated to systematic
7 giving, and to feel that even the child
ren are employed as stewards of the
f Lord, and as He gives unto them 81
: must they give unto others. Inspire
q them with a desire to do good as they
have opportunity, not in money alone
5 for we are told there is such thing al
/ "being poor, yet making many rich
Help them feel the blessedness of Civ
:. ing aid to all that stand in need; O
b sympathy, and kindness of feeling t.
1 suffering humanity wheresoever it ma.
o be found. Let them be taught to inter
est themselves in others, to be thought
full of their comfort lead them to forge
e themselves and find happiness in makinl
e others happy. Teach them that pleas
}. ures ''shared" are richer and sweete
= than they otherwise would be, that 9Th
e best things any mortal hath are thos
# every mortal shares
1t Children thus trained will be bette
$ fitted for happiness as we'll as usefulnes
e in this world, and in the Hereafter
will be more likely to be found anon
/, the "blessed," to whom it will be said
''Inasmuch as ye have done it unto tn
d least of these, my brethren, ye have don
n it unto me- Lou LAUREL.