Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-01-26

caught CLEAN OF sunuunt unv,,,-
ing down the tlue. She sought to
look further; but the iron was too
heavy, aud fell from the tiny fingers
upon thu tiny toes with crushing
weight The stately old grandfather
raised the iron aud took tine silent child
upon his knee. Kissing her, he said,
kindly:
at must have hurt you very much,
my pet"
The little face was all n-quivcr with
pam, tears stood in the brave, brown
eyes, aud the words faltercd as they
came:
81 dess it's on'y for little vile"
That's right, darling" said the
childs mother, gently removing shoe
and stocking from the little foot now
found TO have been seriously hurt;
that's right Mothers brave little
girl kpows that crying only makes the
hurt last longer"
The poor baby could not keep the
tears from running down her little
cheeks, pale from the suffering; but she
did refrain from making the least out.
cry, or even moan.
After she had been carried away in
her mothers arms, to sleep away the
exhaustion Of pain, her grandfather,
with tears OF pity and admiration in his
eyes, said, cmphatically:
~ have always loved my daughter
in-law, but never have admired her
So much as to-day. She Is teaching her
children To be hcrocsl That child will
make her mark in the world, some day.
God bless hcrl"
The grandsirc was right. The child
became a woman OF marked character
aud ability. She was but nineteen at
the outbreak Of our civil war, but such
was her ardor and enthusiasm, TEN.
percd by reason and strengthened by
courage, that she was among the first
to enter into hospital service, working
until carried OF by fever almost at
the close of the war.
This noble woman's childish training
in habits OF endurance would have
proved equally useful to her in any vo.
cation. There Is not Il possible career
in which we are not called upon to
meet hardships OF one sort or another.
Has one done ones best, striving hon
orably to deserve only communication,
and then won but blame or ridiculc,
the weakness of yielding to mortified.
tion can but render the matter worse.
is one reprovc |, even harshly, one may
make the admonition fruitful OF good
results. Sickness, misfortune, power.
ty, disillusion, even undcscrved shame
and death itself lose half their terrors
when bravcly faced and endured. In
q measure this lesson can be taught to
the youngest; the oldest cannot afford
10 cease from learning II. To grow
strong by suffering one must have
learned TO endure hardships with for
titudc. Suffering of any sort, not so
borne, Is facilitating, cncrvating, de-
structivc.
How much OF future strength de-
ponds upon early training In the e:.cr-
else OF true courage, comparatively few
seem to remember IL Is SO ensy 70
pity, carcss and openly sympathize
with sobbing child; so hard 10 treat
its hurts-whcth"r m oral or physical
with n touch as firm ns tender; being
brave, that the child may also he
brave. Yet II Is us undoubtedly II duty
TO teach fortitude as II is to teach truth.
fulncss. If the mother whose opinions
have been quoted be correct in her
views, truthfulncss itself is largely de-.
pendent upon courage. A naturally
timid person may, indeed, he also ma
lively honest; yet 1t seems almost i'm
possible for such person TO retain alb
solutc honesty Of word and net; and the
most unhappy Of mortals are those
who nave not the courage to support
the real truthfulness Of their natures
Helen Evertson Smith, in ~ Y. indie.
pendent