The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-03-13
What My Father Taught Us.
ny Dickens eldest daughter.l

10 begin this little article, | cannot. |
nirk. 40 better than take the little PRAYER
rhch my father wrote for us and which we
each one Of rs was taught 10 repeat night
and morning, as soon as we could speak:
spray God, who has made everything, and
is 90 Kind and merciful TO everything he has
made who tries to be good and to deserve it.
Dpray God, bless my dear papa, mamma,
iroiAers and sisters and auntie, and all my
relations and friends.
Make me a good little girl. Let me never
huauChty. or tell a lie. which is mean and
shameful thing. Make me kind 20 my nurses
s1d servants. and 10 al poor people.
"lCt me never be cruel % any dumb
creature, for II | am cruel 10 anything, even
% o poor little Fly, thou, who are 80 good,
will never love me.
PRAY God 20 bless and 20 preserve US all
M.s night, and forevermore. through Jesus
Christi our Lord. Amen"
The word "auntie" was not i'm the original
PRAYER added il for myself l was quite a
any child, when she, very young girl, first
came 20 live with Us. And, as ! DO not re,
mmDer any part Of my life without her, ana
IA : have kuelt at her knees as often as nave
sart at my mothers knees to say this prayer,
20 seems only natural 20 me to put her name
among those specially mentioned IN our even
n- applications.
With the exception of the first born. my
brothers. were sent 10 school very young.
and as they grew up, and were sent out into
iae world, my father wrote "a letter OF counsel
60 Zach. Here is one such letter:
"l write this note to-day because your
going away is much upon ny mind, and be-
cause I want you 10 have "a few parting
words from nae TO think Of now and then, at
Q.e, times. / need not tell you that / love
Sou dearly, and am very, very sorry, in my
heart. 90 part with you. But this life is half
made up Of partings, and these pains must be
borne. TO is my comfort and my sincere
conviction, that YOU are going 70 try the life
lol which y0n are best fitted. ] think its
freedom and wildness more suited TO YOU than
any 0-ler experiment in q study or Office
would ever have been; aud without that
training YOU could have followed no other
suitable occupation. What YOU have always
wanted until now has been a set, steady,
constant purpose. l therefore eXhort you to
1er-eyere In a thorough determination TO do
whatever you have 10 do as well as you can
do 70. ] was not so old as YOU are now when
irs, had TO win my food. and do this out
0l This determination, and | have never
s.ackcned In 1t since. Never take mean adj
vantage Of any one IN any transaction, and
never Doe hard upon people who are in your
power. Try 10 do 10 others as you would like
them DO TO you: and do not b. discouraged ii
they fail sometimes. IL is much better for you
that they should fail in Obeying the greatest
rule laid down by our Saviour than that you
should. ] have put a New Testament among
your books for the very same reasons, and
with the very same hopes that made me
write an easy account Of il for YOU when you
we're a little child. Because il is the best
book that ever was or will be known in the
world; and becauses il teaches you the best
le-sons by which any human creature who
ues 20 be truthful and faithful to duty can
possibly he guided.
"As your brothers have gone away, one by
one, ! have written TO each such words as |
am writing to YOU, and have entreGted them
aii 10 guide themselves by this book, putting
aside the interpretations and inventions Of
men. 0u will remember that you have
never at home been wearied about religious
oD-eryances or mere formaiities. / have al
WAYS been anxious not to weary my children
With such things before they are ola enough
O. form opinions respecting them. You Will,
therefore, understand the better that / now
most ,olemnly impress upon you the truth
and beauty Of the Christian religion as 1T
came from Christ himself, and the impOssi-
hIu 0i your going far wrong il you humbly
but heartily respect IT, Only one thing more
900 obi, head. The more we are in earnest as
90 feeling &c., the less we are disposed TO hold
forth about 10. Never abandon the whole
some practice of saying your own private
prayers night and morning. i have never
abandoned it myself, and / know the c0m-
font o.. 10. / hope you VIII always be able to
SAYS ln after life. that YOU had kind
MtleE You cannot show your affection for
him 80 well, or make him so happy, as by
doing your duty