The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-06-21

Tim what lessons You have taught US
BIZ that sweet, unselfsh life
Many wears have passed since that
Christmas morning when you prayed
''God bless us all. Old years fraught,
with their weight Of good and evil, nave
passed silently away, and new years,
bright with sunshine, have come to take
their places; but the influence of that
sweet prayer will come again at every
Christmas tide, and live again in every
cline OF Christmas bells and in every
Christmas anthem sung by the voices OF
happy, inn ocent children.
Throughout bis life, Dickens sought to
alleviate the sufferings OF the children OF
all classes and to redress the wrongs I'M
posed upon them.
The publication OF those two powerful
books Nicholas Nickleby and Oliver
Twist, caused reformation in the
schools and alInshouses throughout
England and this was entirely due to
the influence Of the pathetic characters OF
Smike and Oliver, which appear in these
books. Above all other writer's, Dickens
has the power OF bringing US to be IN en-
tire sympathy with his child-characters.
Who has not felt the pangs OF homesick-
ness and utter desolation with pOOrlittle
Joy and happiness that filled his childish
heart as he wandered hand, in hand,
along the beach with little Emily? The
fact that Dickens's contemporaries, have
few child characters only heightens the
interest we feel in those which this great
master so skillfully pOrtrays. Oh I'M
| mortal writer, whose gifted pen has
brought SO much OF jOy and happiness
into the world, these, thy ''dream chit
dren," will keep thy memory green
long after the great heart, that once
beat so lovingly, has returned unto the
dust from whence it came.
Tennyson, the late poet laureate OF
England, has enriched the literature OF
| child-life with several of his most beau
| tiful poems.
No true lover OF this great poet can
| ever forget, or keep from loving, in spite
| of all her little whims and fancies, the
| pathetic little "Queen Of the May
| None of those who have read that
sweet, old story of home life and love,
| "JOhn Halifax can fail to remember
| tenderly the character of Murel, the little
| blind girl. BY simply living her sweet,
| pure life, she has taught us many lessons
of patience, gentleness, and sef-denial.
| The memory of her is like the breath
| Of violets or the music OF the wind among
| the trees she loved SO well.
| Not only English, but German, French,
! American--in truth the writers OF all ma
| tons have realized the immense value OF
| child-ife in literature. The books Of
| Goethe, Schiller, and numbers Of other
| great German writers abound in child
characters, but those which appeal the
! most to our interest and occupy The
| ,,1 40 GRO
| atiOns of the gentle Hans Anderson.
What tears we have shed, in childhood,
over the sad fate of TIE valiant Tin
Soldier" and with what breathless in
terest did we read, and re-read the story
of the Ugly Duckling.' Hans Ander-
son not only writes for children, but he
writes OF them and his charming little
stories are filled with living, loving chill
| dren.
| Hawthorne, the greatest OF American
nOveIists, has discovered TIE charm
which child-life in literature eXerts and
he has used this discovery to great adj
vantage. The one ray OF sunshine in
that wildly portrayed story OF guilt and
shame, The Scarlet Letter." is little
Pearl the elf-child.
Those two great friends and poets,
l.ongfelOw and Whittier, who for so
many years have held the attention and
love of the people, not only of America,
but of the whole English speaking world
have written many poems, filled with
descriptions of the life of the child in
New England. The child-life in Snow
bound presents, alone, a rich legacy tc
our literature. What farmer boy haf
not seen:
"Unwarmed by any sunset light
I lnx a orlyan into irbt
| 4 night made hOary with the swarm
And whirl-dance of the binding storm
Many OF us who now pursue LIES way
among the busy haunts of men" love
now and then, to put our hand into that o
the gentle Quaker poet and be led, il
fancy, back to the old country home
aud the time when the world was: 90
universe of sky and snow and "The ole
familiar sights of ours took marvellous
shapes.
The bride post an old man sat
| With loose flung coat and high cooked ha
The we'll curb had Chinese roof
And through the ba rebOughed lilac ire,
Our own warm hearth seemed blaZin:
free"
LongfeliOw's devotion to children ha
been immortalized by one, who, himself
is "a siilliul delineator of child-lfe an(
character. He says:
Awake. he loved their voices.
And wove them into his rhyme
And the music of their laughter
Was with him all the time.
Though he knew the tongues of nations,
And their meanings all were dear,
, The prattle and lisp of little child
was the sweetest for him to hear
-, Ill ELL.
trayed shld-life in New England. Almos
every girl, throughout North and South
has read, with interest and delight, tn,
story OF the four Little Women" Joe
with her miscellaneous pranks and good
: hearted gaiety. Amy, with her ittl
pug nose confined in a clothes pin, in ;
vain enaeayOr to make that feature
classic, sweet shy little Beth, and Meg
the personitication N pure-heGrted, wo
! manly girlhoOd-all are true, livins
friends and companions, and not mer
creatures OF the fancy.
In the writings of the latest Englisl
authors, scores of child-characters ap
pear. Foremost among these come two
,, quaint, fascinating, little beings, Helen
,, babies. Not many years ago, the entir
literary world was thrown into commo
ton by the appearance of the book, il
J which these rather naughty, but who'll,
: lovable, little characters were presented
t to an admiring public. The whole Eng
lish speaking people was convulsed owe
the sayings and dongs of those tw,
. inimitable babies, and, as long as tn,
world is filled with real children, so Ions
, will naughty Bulge and loving LITTLE
Teddy occupy warm place in the hear
OF every mother and father throughout
the land.
Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett, re
cent writer OF great note, has showr
much skill in depicting child-lfe in Eng
, land.
The many child-characters who appear
, in her books are all interesting and al
! lovable, but one of them especially de
serves our notice. Little Lord Fauntle
: roy is simple story of the life of {
pure, lovng-hearted child, whose chic
charm lay in being always kind and con
siderate towards Others and in feelin.
! himself to be the friend of the who'll
world. But this innocent child has ex
erted great influence for good in tn