Bisbee daily review., 1904-04-06
Old Books That Have
 American Character
(continued From Page six.)

Continued From Page Six) tse Creed. and after that came the Illustrated alphabet that appealed to the imagination of all chilcren with it's graphic pictures from "A where
 'in Adams fall
 We sinned all.''
 to "Z" where
 "Zaccheus he
 Did climb a tree
 Ills Lord to see"
 The pictures were crude but they weie effective. No youthful eyes could read how Timothy from sin did hy.- and look upon the frightened boy fleeing from the pursuing figure with its forked tail, long horns and outstretohed arms without forming some idea of the hideousness of sin. At the beginning of this alphabet ap- pears the following:
 He that ne'er learns his A c Forever will bicckhead be; But he that learns these letters fair Shall have a Coach to take the Air. In this book were also hymns and prayers by Dr. Watts, among them the Cradle Hymn beginning
 Hush my child, lay still and slumber, Holy angels guard thy bed"
 The Westminster Articles of Faith were here set forth in all their bless ings and terrors; the shorter cate chism. which was long enough, no doubt, for the childi en who had to stuoy it, and the dialogue between Youth, Christ and the Devil Also Spiritual Milk for American Babes, Drawn out of the Breast of Both Tes- taments for their Souls Nourish- mert" by John Cotton.
 A favorite portion of the book among the verses for children we find, Awake. arise, behold thou hast Thy life leaf. thy breath a blast At night lie down prepared to have Thy sleep thy death. thy bed thy
 grave"
 Again,
 T in the burning place may see Graves shorter there than l. From Deaths arrest no age is free, Young childI en too must die. My God, may such an awful sight Awakening be to me.
 Oh. that my early grace might For death prepared be-"
 Don't you feel the cold chills run ring down your back? Can't you fairly see the pale horse with its grim ridere Take 8 sensitive child with a vivid irn- sgination, and we can easily guess how this early training would affect the after life. Is it any wonder that she Age was the father of such men as Johnathan Edwards and Cotton Mather? But the Book held its sweet and beautiful messages also. Here the child learned, not only at his Mothers knee but at the Teachers resk as well, that beautiful poetic version of the Saviour's Golden Rule. With All thy soul love God above. And as myself thy neighbor love"
 And that simple and most beautiful of children's prayers, Now I lay me down to sleep.'' If Dr. Watts had written nothing else, that prayer would have made his name immortal Not only have children lisped its sweet melody, but many a tired moth CT, tired with the cares of mother sleeping treasures and prayed, almost  with a sob,'If I should die before wake" It is said of John Quincy Adams that he never retired without repeating that prayer. In the ''goot old days gone by," many a business man after his devotions, has said q pray the Lord my soul to keep'-tG keep from all temptation to sin and wrong doing-to keep in the paths O honesty and truth-and has risen {; stronger and truer man. A strang, children's book it seems in the High of the child literature of today, but i vas such books as this that moldet our early American character: character rugged to harshness may hap, but well typifed to me by gran, old Abraham Davenport When tn, horror of great darkness fell in 179 when all his colleagues in the Stat House of Connecticut sat trembling beneath their legislative robes, sayin Tt is the Lords great day. Let us d iourn, Abraham Davenport aros slow cleaving with his steady voic :he intoierable hush" said:
 This well may be the day of Juo,
 ment which the world awaits: But be it so or not, only know choose for one to meet him face |,
 face:-
 No faithiess servant frightened fror
 his task,
 But ready when the Lord of the hal
 vest calls:
 And therefore, with all reverence,
 would say
 Let God do his work. we will see |