The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-11-14
A Child's Work.

| A few months ago a cosy little chapel was
| dedicated as the Third Lutheran Church of
! an ONO city. Very happy were the two
\ older churches TO welcome the young sister,
and very wonderful did the blessing seem.
! Five years before there was only one Lt-
theran Church in the town, and il seemed
like only yesterday that the parent church
mad hidden "Godspeed' to n little company
as they left TO form the second church And
now there are three. How God has blessed
them and multiplied their numbcrsl And
to think that il has all, under God, come
about by a little iive-yearold maiden coax
ing her drunken father to go TO Sunday
school with heri
1t happened in this wise: About forty
years ago, in little mountain town in an
Eastern state, n boy was led astray by evil
companions, and learned to drink aud smoke,
ana To become dlssipated youth. His pa
rents moved at last to Ohio and for while
he began to grow steadier and married a
brave little woman. But alas! evil intlu-
ence again gained their hold upon him. and
he became a drunken sot, given up to all
kinds of evil and sin.
One day when he happened to be moder.
ately sober, his little five eyear-old daughter
came in, and climbed up on his lap. Putting
her arms around his neck she exclaimed:
My dear little drunken daddy"
1t seemed rs though a knife had cut into
his very soul. With a ouestioning look ha
turned to his wife
No, did not tell her; she has heard it
somewhere else, was her answer II startled
and reused him; for, wretch as he was. he
loved the innocent little child.
trancls Murphy came TO the town soon
after; and one tlay lttle Nell came dancing
up to her papa, with dozen or so little blue
temperance badges pinned all over her hat
Her father declared atterward that every
one went through Inn like an arrow,
few days after, fellow-drinker, who
had already sigAed Tire plcdge, came and
asked him to sign it also. lie agreed to do
so IL some others would; and as a result
nearly thirty of the lowest men in the town
were rescued from the power of strong dlluk...
4, little time passed and Asll weaIsed To
the Lutheran Sunday -ssAl65f; and very soon
came the pleading little voice: Papa won't
you go to Sunday school whith me next
SundayN He could not resist the little one.
and went with her. The sweet singing pleased
MN, and he went again. After his second
visit, he hunted up an old associate, now a
sober man, and hailed him with: say,
WHIP te%ss 'S -
johnson laughed and scoffea a little, but
finally agreed to try it. He, too was
pleased; aud they, after a while got IA dozen
more rough men like themselves, and formed
a Bible.ciasS. They discussed the lessons,
often with ridicue and unbelief; and by and
by the Holy Spirit began to work in the
midst, and some of them were converted,
among them little Nel's papa The class
five, one hundred one hundred and fifty!
all men, and all interested in the lesson
study.
In the meantime all this was having Its in
huence with the school proper, and its num-
Der increased from four hundred to nine
hundred in n very short time The church
also caught enthusiasm, and at last grew so
IN numbers that it divided and formed the
second church-lnd now a third. Humanity
speaking, this has come from the seed sown
by little girl
All this happened about ten years ago.
Nells father is an honored and respected
business man, and his elegant home speaks of
his prosperity. He is an earnest Christian
worker a devoted temperance man, and an
active prohibitlonist.
Is it not wonderful With Christ multiply
ing power a very tiny effort may become
mighty in its influence
"Be ye steadiast and unmovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord; foras-
much as ye know that your labor is not in
vain in the Lord "-Sunddy School Times