St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-01-27

when those come upon the cider it is
a sure sign the snake is there
"What thnake r. said Tommy.
"The one that the Bible tells about,
that 'biteth like a serpent and stingeth
like an adder
Then Aunt Mary told them all about
the great serpent alcohol, how many he
stung to death every year. The great
city was full of their dens. They were
in the country, too. She told them of
the Band of Hope children, and the
Juvenile Templars, who were banded
together, little temperance soldiers.
Bess and Tom listened with tears in
their eyes.
"T'll never taste cider again" said
Bess.
"'Nor ~ said little Tom. 81 didn't
know about it,"
"Many, dear children, do not" said
Aunt Mary. Suppose we have little
Band of Hope of our own"
"Oh do, do said all the children,
clapping their hands land we'll let
papa and mamma sign, too"
Aunt Mary's great Saratoga trunk
was "A great mystery to the children of
the farm house. What wonderful and
beautiful things were treasured there
they could only conceive. One day
she took from its recesses a package of
books and chrome cards. They could
Just catch glimpses of roses, and lilies,
and fOrgetme-nOts, which were so
beautiful that they danced, and clap
ped their hands and cried:
so auntie do such beautiful flowers
grow in your big trunk 7"
GLOW would you like card, each of
your"
ooh! very much," they said.
"But these pretty cards are for my
temperance boys and girls" said Aunt
Mary.
1--WE be temperance" said the little
one.
my temperance boys and girls new
er drink wine, or beer, or cider" said
Aunt Mary.
eve won't any MORE" they said in
concert.
18th thnakes," lisped the little one
with a shudder.
Aunt Mary now opened one of the
little books, and told them all about
the snake alcohol that stung almost a
DCODlC W
cry year. She read to them the ques-
tons and answers of Miss Coleman's
''Catechism on Alcohol and gave
them two answers for days lesson.
And thus the lessons went on day by
day, till the little people knew more
about the alcohol than their parents.
The class met i'll the summer house
and increased every day, till one day,
when the leaves were falling, and Aunt
Mary had told her little people she
must leave them on the morrow and go
back to her city home, they felt very
sad. ''I'll tell you how we can do"
she said, as she saw the pitiful little
faces turned toward her so lovingly.
"Let's band ourselves together into IL
! little temperance society, and may be
next summer I'll come again and teach
YOU
sob will you 2" the little ones said :;
and when Aunt Mary brought out IA
beautiful pictorial pledge all were rea-
dy to sign it.
There were twelve little boys and
girls, whose names Aunt Mary wrote
under her own, and when papa and
mamma saw that their own little ones
and all their young friends had signed
the pledge they wrote their own names
with the rest.
''YOu see, Mary, we have been
thoughtless," said her brother. 1--WE
did not think of alcohol i'll the cider"
Aunt Mary gave each of her friends
beautiful chromO-cards with texts of
Scripture upon them and pretty illus
trated tracts containing nice temper
ance stories.
There were many tears shed when
the time came that she must bid her
young friends goodbye, and the little
ones were very sure they would always
keep the pledge. Because said lit
tie Bess, "Aunt Mary was right about
the snakes. My text says, AT the last
it biteth like Il serpent and stingeth
like an adder, and the text on that
chromo-card is just what God says
about it, The Banner.