Year: 1875




persisted Herman. .


"The man took his pencil and wrote:
I" The great God above only can do such
things
"It is called-what?" asked Aunt Kate,
looked around upon the faces Of her lis
teners.
They had been so absorbed in the story
that her question took them by surprise.
"Why-I don't know" said Harry,
hesitating, 81 thought it was real story
about magicians you were telling us. l
don't know of anything God does that
seems like that" And Harry looked
rather disgusted at the turn the story
had taken.


"Tell us what the old man called it,
though, auntie," said Fanny.


"It was called-morning glory"


"What! you don't mean that common
vine that is running all over the back
porch?"


eyes, do, indeed" said Aunt Kate.
8 Let US 60 and look at it."


She broke off a long spray of the vine,
still laden with dew, and they gathered
round to examine it. "Now," she said,
81 know that the early growth of this
vine is lust as l have described it to you.
AS you look at it now can you tell me OF
single thing have told you about it
which is not true?"


"But thought you were telling us
about some great wonder. This doesn't
happen as quickly as thought the thing
in the story did"


81 did not say, you know, how long a
time it took. That makes it none the
less a great wonder. Dear children, l
am trying to make you think little Of
all the wonders there are in creation,
and of the Great Magician's hand, whose
touch works them. Look, have you ever
seen any colors made by men which.
were like these in this common little
plant? Have you ever noticed what
beauties it unfolds each morning at the
new touch of the golden wand?"


"Ah, that wand! then that means the
sunshine, and those mystical crystal
drops-yes, yes, Aunt Kate, you GER
tainly have trumped up a great story to
try to make us believe there is more than
a flower in a flower. l remember now
you did not really tell US the wand was
| in the dumb mans hand-though we
all thought so-only that it was used and
that vessel, that was neither cup, bowl,
stewpan, tea-kettle, or anything else
| but fiower-pot; and the dark-looking
powder, too; well, must say, you have
managed to play pretty good joke on
US, auntie."


"You may call it joke, dear, if it only
helps little toward teaching you to see
a great hand and great purpose in
every trifing thing. 1t is rather a
clumsy little story, to be sure, but l hope
it may open your eyes to see little
further than Just the outside of things. l
think we get so used to what we see
about US every day-these common
things, as you call them-that we forget
to notice what wonders are constantly
going on under our careless sight. Did
you ever try watching a plant closely
from the time it's first leaf appeared till
it was complete in the flower, and per-
| fected and finished in the end2 You
would find it much more curious than
the work of stage magician. There is
no substance in what they show, and it
lasts but for the moment, and they have
all the help which clumsily-contrived
machinery and deceptive light can give
them. But Pm not going to do what |
used to hate so much in Esop's Fables
make my application longer than my
story; and, as l see Harry feels little as
if he had been swindled, will send you
off to school with short story which
shan't pretend to be anything but just
what it is:


"There was man lying under a tree,
greatly bewailing himself that he had not
hand in creation, declaring he could
have ordered things much better than
the Creator mad succeeded in doing. AT
ter exposing many of the mistakes in the
! general plan of things he went on:
What most absurd arrangement that
yon slender vine should be obliged to
bear pumpkins, while this gigantic oak
over my head has only to support these
small acorns.' At this moment an acorn
fell on his head, and the Industrious
neighbor near, to whom his complaint
had been made, remarked:


"'Friend, if that tree had borne
pumpkins, what would have saved thy
head?'"-N Y. Observer.