The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1905-10-20

amt your prayers "
That was lesson in religious lib
city,
A father carrying sweet-faced
child not yet three years of age,
stepped upon the rear platform of a
street car. The car was crowded
and several women were pressing for
places. Some of the men were not
displaying great gallantry and as the
father started to enter the car every
one was startled, as well as amused,
when The baby, with his arm encir-
cling his fathers neck, leaned over
and looked him in the face saying:
LET the ladies in fust, daddy; let
the ladies in fust!"
That was a lesSOn-frOm n babe
in politeness; and it produced i'm
mediate results in that crowded car.
A terrific storm was raging and
in one home two of the larger chill
dren of the household were greatly
frightened, both giving way to sObs.
A five year old lad who was not in
the least disturbed by the storm soon
wearied of the cries of the older
children and blurted out: "Oh, stop
your bawlin'! Don't you s'pose God
knows his business?'
That was lessOn-out of the
mouth of babe--in simple faith.
In a Pullman car going out of a
western city, the berths had been
made down and many of the pas
sengers had retired. A party of con-
viviaI spirits had concluded their
session in the smoking room and its
members were making their way to
found his passage-way along the
narrow isle checked by pair of tiny
legs and looking down he saw lit
tie child kneeling at its mothers
berth. Profound silence reigned in
that car. The men in the rear push
! ed forward in order to see what had
checked the progress of their leader.
Exchanging significant chances, all
of the members of this party removed
their hats and reverently bowed their
heads while there floated through
the Garland doubtless upward and
onward and onward and upward
the sweet childish treble of:
Now l lay me down to sleep
pray Thee, Lord, my soul to
keep;
If / should die before wake
Ipray Thee, Lord, my soul to take. y
That was a lesSOn--out of the
mouth of a babe-in Christian rever,
ence.
Men may learn much from these
little ones. Unfortunate, indeed, is
the man who does not know what ii
is to be greeted by little child; who
has never felt the warm embrace of
little arms and who has not been
privileged to gather inspiration in
the presence of the great love and the
perfect sincerity of lone of the least
of these"
The prettiest stories that have even
| been written have been about chill
dren; the most beautiful songs that
have ever been sung are the chill
dren's songs. Art and literature are
heavily indebted to the inspiration
of the child and in the more practi-
cal life the busy man who has learn.
ed how to live finds his best recrea-
ton in the companionship of chill.
dren. II love these little people, ;
said Dickens, land it is not a slight
thing when they who are so fresh
from God love u.s." Someone has
said that children have not beer
sent for the mere purpose of keeping
up the race, but that they were Civ
en- to enlarge our hearts; to make us
unselfish and full of kindly sympa-
thies and affection; to give our souls
higher aims; to call out all our facul
ties to eXtened enterprise and eXer.
ton; and to bring round our firesideS
bright faces, happy smiles and low.
ing, tender hearts. "My soul, " said
the same writer, "blesses the great
Father every day that he has glad
dened the earth with little children. ,
How often, in the homes of the
world, has that same song of graft.
tude been sung! How often have
careless men and reckless women
been drawn from the danger line by
the recollection of the little one
whose future is dependent upon
them! The man who doubted the
existence of God until he felt great
love for pure woman and then be.
lieved on the theory that there mus
be good God, else there could moi
be such a holy love, must have be
come stalwart among the stalwart,
in the Christian hosts when little
child came to brighten the home, tC
bless the union and to make indis
soluble the ties that bound the par
ents' hearts.
Recently a number of men from
various walks of life were assembled
in a hotel corridor. They engaged
in a discussion of the scriptures ano
it developed that many of these mel
had been careful readers Someone
asked for opinions as to the mos
beautiful passage in the Bible. Sew,
eral learned responses were given
One man, well known among ives
tern plainesmen, and one who wa.
not suspected of being great stu
dent of the Bible, surprised his com.
panions by saying: Boys, there
are just two things in that old booE
that | never get tired hearing of
One is the story of that little fellow
Samuel; and / shall never forget tn,
picture in my good old mothers Bi-
BILE showing Samuel sitting in hi,
little bed aud, in response to Gods
call, saying Speak, Lord, Thy ser
want heareth.
but" continued the plainsman
"the prettiestp pen picture ever drawn
is to be found in the tenth chapter
of Mark"
His companions thought to tesi
him and one OF them asked, "HoN
do you know il is in the tenth chap
ter of Mark?r
"I1l show you" said the plains