The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-01-08

rheumatism. Yet not one complaint
came from his lips. AS | left the sick
room the father said to me: THAT iJc-
is different from all the other children
He seems TO live 50 close TO God that
at times | am afraid we cannot raise
him. | often say To the older children
You must not become jealous of HI
ram. Your mother and father love Won
Just the same. But he is different
from YOU. He lives closer to God than
any of u.s. And that boy is 50 differ
ent from the rest that from the time
he was born we have never had to pun
ish him or to say Il harsh word to
him." My brother. you know just what
| mean. You know how children vary
Most of them seem to be made Of the
same stuff you are made of, but there
is one chiid~who is different from all
the rest. She is so gentle, so kind, so
helpful, so loving, so filled with the
Christ life. that she seems to be the
gospel leayen which leavens the whole
home. Oh, yes, within its own
sphere there is no influence greater
than the influence Of the Christian
child. And yet, putting aside the
monkish legends and traditions about
the Saviour's infancy, of all he did and
said during his childhood there is re-
liably recorded hardly word.
A Beautiful Legend.
The great Dean Stanley illustrated
the influence of the Christian child life
In this beautiful way: MANY years
ago there lived a huge heather giant.
He was a mammoth bunch of muscles;
but, though he was great in physical
strength he was a spiritual pygmy.
He wanted to serve God, and he want
ed to pray, but he did not know how.
At last this heather giant came to q
deep river, where he met an old man.
and he told lin Lis hearts warnings.
The good man said, My friend, you
may not know how> to pray, but you
can help those poor travellers who want
to pass over this river So day after
day, the heather giant dWelt upon the
river bank. When the poor wayfarers
came along, he would shoulder them
upon his back and carry them over
this swift running stream. One stormy
night he heard a child piteOuSly cry
ing The boy wanted to be carried
over SO the giant lifted the lad and
started The waters Surged about the
giants feet The tempest blew over
head. While he was struggling in the
swift current the giant felt the weight
of the child grow heavier and heavier.
Then the giant looked up ut the child,
and, To- supernatural glory shone in
his face. The child said, Friend. thou
art iaboring under this heavy burden
because thou art carrying one who is
bearing the sins of the world Then
the giant knew that he was carrying
Jesus. and he bore him to the bank
and fell down and worshiped him."
That was only a legend. But it was
a legend which has had its duplication
in many lives. We had grown tc
manhood. We wanted to worship
Christ, but somehow we did not know
| how. Then there came into our homes
little child. Oh, that little girl scent
ed SO smalll When the nurse first
placed her in our arms we were almos1
| frightened We We're afraid of drop
| ping the puny thing upon the floor
But as we kept carrying the child ant
watching her. with her gentle, trusuu
ways, we began to be like the leg
endary giant Through that little chilt
| life we learned how to trust aud he
| iieve on Jesus Christ. oh, the marvel
| Gus influence of a Christian child il
| the home. Have you ever stopped fol
one instant to think what must have
| been the influence of the child Jesus
| in the Nazareth carpenter shop upon
| his father and mother and brothers ant
sisters? Are you and willing to be-
| led to reconsecrate our lives to the
cross through the influence Of the con
secrated actions of our little children:
| turn the leaves of the four gospel.
and look IN vain for any record OF
| what Christ did as a young man. From
| the age of twelve to thirty absolutely
| nothing authoritative Is written. Ant
| yet those were very important year!
/
| when, like Paul, he put aside child
ism things Then he not only though
as man and worked as man, bu
| he had the responsibilities of the home
flung upon him when he was yet {
mere boy. He was like one of those
| little children we often see IN our poor
err districts. While they are yet babe:
| themselves = by the cruel, ineXorabl'
laws of poverty they are compelled t.
| take care of some younger brother anc
| sister. But during all these years o
| Christ's life there is not a word writ
| ten; no. not one word.
| What Jesus Did Not Do.
How precious to US would have beef
| genuine record showing how Jesus
acted when his foster father, Joseph
died. Joseph. the carpenter, stood il
the same relationship to Jesus as Lud
wig Guyer did to his stepson, Richart
Wagner, or as David Swings stepfa
| Their did to him. Joseph. the carpenter
| was. the divine boys breadwinner ant
| human protector When suddenly .thi
| strong carpenter was stricken down
| we can see Mary. his wife, and he
| brood of little ones, with their stained
faces, standing about the pale corpse
| Now, what do you suppose Jesus, tn
boy, did at that time? Do you sup
pose he turned to Mary and said